Campfire Nights
by starfan88
Summary: Sleeping bags, kids, nights under the stars...sound like the perfect summer?  Not for Jude and the rest of GMajor, who embark on their greatest challenge yet...summer camp.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! So I'm back with a full-length story, my first in months. The idea came to me as I was watching TV and saw something about how they're opening up an American Idol camp for aspiring musicians. I went to camp for years, so the thought of having a story set in a camp, particularly one with professional musicians involved, made me really excited.

So here's some background:

- It takes place after Season 3. Everything in the S3 finale happened, except the whole legal fiasco with Darius and Portia. Darius is still running G-Major and everyone still works there.

- Jude made her choice between Tommy and Jamie and you'll see the outcome in this first chapter.

Everything else will be explained as we go along. This first chapter is very much introductory, but I can promise lots of drama and some unexpected twists and turns in the future. :-)

Of course, I don't own anything associated with Instant Star, except this storyline and any new characters along the way. I'm about done with the second chapter, so if you like this one, I can post the next relatively quickly - just let me know! And as always, ENJOY!

* * *

Keeping her eyes glued to her target, Jude anxiously tapped her fingers against the counter, awaiting the one sound that would make her morning complete. Chatter and chaos echoed all around her, but her focus was clear as she attempted to block out the distractions and zoom in on the task at hand. Concentrating…concentrating…just waiting…to hear that sound… 

_Ding!_

As if on cue, the chime was heard and Jude's eyes immediately widened. She stood a little straighter and reached for her target, letting the aroma instantly overwhelm her senses. A grin appeared on her face as she watched the brown liquid pour from the pot into her mug, a small cloud of steam appearing over the top.

Taking a sip, she closed her eyes and immediately felt the calm wash over her, her smile growing wider. Leaning in to take another sip, she heard,

"Ummm…do you and the coffee pot want to be left alone?"

Jude peeked over the edge of the mug to see who was interrupting her peaceful state.

"That depends. Do you want to live to see tomorrow?" she responded tersely, taking another sip.

"Awwww, come on...you wouldn't kill your boyfriend over a cup of coffee, would you?"

"Jamie, do you really want me to answer that question?"

"Okay, okay," Jamie responded with his hands up in surrender, retreating a few steps to the other side of the counter. "I'll just…wait until you're done."

As she took another sip, she watched out of the corner of her eye as he began to fiddle with a cup full of spoons. He took two out of the cup and began banging them against the countertop, playing to the imaginary beat in his head.

"Jamie?" Jude said to get his attention, putting the mug down. "Jamie!"

"Yeah?"

"You can stop," Jude said with a small smile, placing her hand over his to get him to stop playing. "I'm good now."

"Oh, good," he said, walking back over to her side of the counter and giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "I just wanted to say good morning."

"Good morning to you too," she replied brightly.

Pausing for the first time since she had arrived, Jude took notice of all the commotion around G-Major. There were at least two dozen people setting up equipment or talking loudly on their cell phones. "What's with all these people here at 9am?"

"I think they're setting up for a press conference," Jamie replied, following her gaze around the room. "Something to do with the big Darius secret."

For the past few weeks, everyone had noticed Darius becoming very aloof. His door was always closed, he had a constant flow of visitors for mysterious meetings, and Sadie was frequently seen bringing him "confidential" files.

"Ahhh, yes," Jude started. "The secret. Are you still taking bets on what it is?"

"Of course," Jamie replied, pulling out a small piece of paper from his back pocket. "Let's see…Speed thinks Darius is buying a hockey team. Karma thinks he's getting married. Kyle says he's starting a G-Major branch in China, and Wally thinks he's giving up music altogether for life as a martial arts instructor."

Jude laughed lightly. "I'm with Wally. He _has_ been spending more time in that uniform lately."

"I don't know," Jamie said skeptically, tucking the paper back in his pocket. "Darius is always secretive, but this seems to be much bigger than hiring a new artist or putting together a charity event."

"I know," Jude agreed dazedly, as they both wandered to the other side of the counter, watching as another group of people entered the room and began to set up camp.

"Any hints from Sadie?" Jamie asked.

Jude shook her head. "Nope, nothing. She says she's sworn to secrecy. I even tried bribing her with a manicure but she still won't budge."

"Wow, bribery with nail polish," Jamie muttered with a smirk. "It must be really good for her to pass _that_ up."

Jude replied with a simple eye roll, then turned her attention towards the opening of the door to Darius' office. He emerged with a smile and began greeting the various media personalities who stood around the room, his dark gray suit and blue tie making him appear more sophisticated and distinguished than usual.

Through the crowd, Jude noticed another figure making their way towards them. She felt her heartbeat quicken and anxiety mount as the figure got closer, his eyes focusing in on hers.

Holding her coffee mug a little tighter, she held his gaze as he stopped in front of them.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey," Tommy replied coolly. He glanced over at Jamie, giving him a quick nod of recognition.

"Morning," Jamie said quickly.

Tommy fixed his eyes on Jude's for a moment, then walked past her to the coffee pot behind the counter.

Jude swallowed another gulp of coffee, eager to wash down the awkwardness of the moment. She turned towards Jamie, plastering a smile on her face, and asked,

"So, what time is the press conference supposed to start?"

"Probably any minute now," Jamie responded. "The microphone is already set up."

Jude nodded, attempting to forget the fact that Tommy was standing behind them. They stood there in silence, watching the scene before them, seeing two men walk up behind the microphone and tack a large black curtain onto the wall.

"What is that?" Jude asked, watching as the two men carefully secured the corners of the curtain to the wall.

"You got me," Jamie replied with a shrug.

"It's to cover up a sign," they heard next to them, peering over to see Speed standing there. "See, that bottom corner tears off to reveal whatever the sign is underneath."

They all watched as the men successfully secured the curtain and then picked up a board that was laying face-down beside them, slipping it quietly underneath the curtain.

"Maybe it's a giant wedding photo," Karma offered, joining the group and leaning against the counter.

Speed smirked and looked over at her. "Right. Or maybe his wife is hiding under there."

Karma elbowed his side, causing Speed to bend over in an overdramatic sign of pain. As they all laughed at him, Portia emerged from the crowd and walked up to them.

"I need all of you up front. Now," she instructed firmly. "You too, Tommy," she added, before grabbing Jude's arm and dragging her towards the front of the room.

Jude glanced back at Jamie with a look of desperation as he walked quickly to try to keep up with her. The rest of the group followed, filing in next to Kwest, Wally, Kyle, and various other G-Major staff who were already standing near the stage.

"What is going on, Portia?" Jude asked as they reached the front.

"I can't discuss it," Portia said flatly. She then leaned in closer to Jude and added, "But I will tell you, it'll change everyone's lives over the next few weeks."

At that, Portia took off, leaving a confused Jude standing amongst the other G-Major employees.

"It'll change everyone's lives?" she repeated vaguely, looking at Jamie for some sort of explanation. "What does that mean?"

"I think it means it's big," Jamie replied, noticing the hush that was falling over the crowd as Darius finally took the stage. "And it looks like you're about to find out."

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for being here," Darius began, a smile appearing on his face as he looked around the room, cameras flashing in every direction.

"For over two years now, I've taken G-Major to new heights, producing new sounds, new artists, new vibes. I've been an advocate in the community, giving back to local charities and schools in need of financial support. But I've also wanted to do more. To be more. Giving back financially has been good, but it's never been enough.

"When I was a kid, I used to dream of becoming a successful businessman and being involved in the music industry. And now that I've made my dreams happen, I've decided that it's time to make_ my_ dream possible for other people too.

"Music is not just about natural talent nowadays. Thousands of aspiring musicians have incredible talent, but don't have the right tools to get where they want to be. They need guidance – someone to show them how to accomplish their goal of getting signed, someone to give them the tools they need. And I want to be that person. I want to show them that it's important to not just have a love for music, but to know what to do with it.

"So, I've decided to put my money where my mouth is. I'm taking my love for music and my devotion to this studio to a whole new level," he began, backing up to grasp the edge of the curtain. Jude glanced over at Jamie, whose eyes were wide as he stared at the stage, waiting for the reveal. She felt her nerves get the best of her, biting her lip in anticipation.

"I'm starting a place where aspiring musicians can go to learn. To be creative. To meet other musicians. And to make their dreams a reality. So without further ado, I give you…"

He held on tighter to the edge of the curtain and in one swift move, pulled it off to reveal a wooden sign with a blue and white logo on the front.

"Camp Marion."


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2...I think it gives a lot more info as to the actual plot of the story. I kept up the whole Jude firing Tommy from her album thing - they're no longer working together. And all of the background about the last few months and what happened since Jude made her decision is actually coming in the next chapter, so it will all be explained.

Thank you all for your comments! The next chapter is in the works, but probably will take longer to post than this one did. Oh, and for those of you who questioned whether this story is Jommy, I'd ask you to trust me...if you've read any of my stories, you know that I've never been a fan of Jade. But all good things must wait. :)

With that, here's the next chapter...enjoy!!

* * *

Darius held on tighter to the edge of the curtain and in one swift move, pulled it off to reveal a blue and white sign with a logo on the front.

"Camp Marion."

-------------------------

Jude read the sign and felt her mouth open slightly in shock. "Camp Marion?" she mumbled in confusion.

The flashes from cameras grew overwhelming as Darius stood next to the sign with a huge grin on his face. He then began speaking again.

"Camp Marion will be a place where kids will have the chance to learn from the best and pursue their dreams. We will all be involved – everyone from G-Major – as Camp Marion officially becomes part of our family," he announced, looking over at the shocked employees all standing in the front row.

"Oh, and in case anyone is wondering," he added, stepping back to the microphone, "the camp is named after a very special woman in my life, someone who has inspired me and given me the confidence to do what I wanted."

Jude heard Karma clear her throat loudly, trying to get the attention of the group. As Jude looked over at her, she saw Karma mouth the words, "A new wife?"

But to Karma's dismay, Darius offered the simple explanation,

"My mother, Marion."

Jude couldn't help but snigger at Darius' statement, glancing over at Karma who huffed loudly.

"Now as I said, Camp Marion will officially become part of the G-Major family. Not only will the campers be treated as one of our own in the studio, but our current staff will also be part of the camp. Literally."

Jude felt Jamie gently nudge her, an uneasy expression on his face.

Darius' voice rang out again, as the crowd absorbed every word. "Beginning from the day the camp opens, which will be in just a few weeks, our staff here at G-Major will be part of the lives of the campers. They will be instrumental in the development and success of the camp, as well as to the campers themselves. And that is because our staff at G-Major will officially become employees of Camp Marion as well."

Questions were heard throughout the crowd, most of them echoing from the first row of G-Major staff, confused about Darius' references.

"That's right," Darius stated, cutting off any questions. "Who better to teach kids about being in the music industry than industry professionals themselves? Our staff at G-Major will officially become instructors for the kids at Camp Marion for the full four week session."

"What?" Jude asked, looking over at Jamie in shock. Jamie shook his head in similar surprise, not sure if they were fully comprehending what was going on.

"We're all going…to camp?" Karma asked, her voice sounding above the rest.

"Yes," Darius replied, hearing her question. "Pack your stuff. You all are headed to sleepaway camp for the summer!"

Everyone instantly turned to each other in complete and total astonishment. Astonishment and alarm. Jude's eyes were wide at the thought of spending a summer cooped up in a camp, surrounded by bugs, sleeping bags, kids...

"But D," Jude asked, getting his attention, "what about our albums? Some of us are mid-production."

"Your albums are all officially on hold," Darius answered, turning back towards the crowd. "As of today, our focus turns to those who need us most. The kids. The aspiring musicians. No album is as important as they are."

Jude sighed in defeat, the reality of the situation starting to settle in. No studio? No recording? No air conditioning?? She felt the sweat start to form along her hairline and her pulse begin to race, as she looked around in panic at the faces around her.

"He can't be serious," she said, looking frantically at the other employees.

"Dude, do you think he'd joke about this?" Speed asked in response.

Jude's eyes glazed over in fear as she turned back around to look at the stage just as Darius continued.

"I will now answer any questions the media may have," he said, pointing to a reporter in the audience.

"Mr. Mills," the woman began, "Will the camp have traditional instructional areas like swimming and art as well as music?

"Yes. My staff here at G-Major will be the music instructors. But we've been working hard to hire other staff – about 50 of them – to be full-time counselors and teach the other camp disciplines, like swimming, sports, arts…anything the kids may be interested in. My sister Portia will be in charge of all of the programming options and I can assure you, there will be a full spectrum of opportunities for them."

"Mr. Mills," a man started, stepping forward, "what types of music courses will the G-Major staff be teaching?"

"I'm glad you asked that question," Darius responded, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. "I just so happen to have a list of the music programs and who will be teaching what."

He flattened out the paper and began reading. "For starters, both the camp and G-Major's offices will be managed by our very own Sadie Harrison, who has been an instrumental part of this whole operation."

The crowd applauded Sadie, who was standing in the back of the room wearing her headphones, holding a clipboard, and showing a nervous smile.

"And as for the individual music courses and instructors," Darius continued reading, "let's start with our newest Instant Star, Karma. She will be teaching the art of performance on stage."

"Ooo!" Karma squealed, clearly excited by the news. "At least if I have to go to camp, I may as well be the one on the stage."

"Our hottest band, SME, will each be teaching the kids to play an instrument," Darius continued.

"Sweet," Speed said, high-fiving each Wally and Kyle.

"Jamie Andrews, our A&R rep, will be teaching one of the most important parts of the music industry – how to get signed," Darius announced.

"Nice," Jamie responded enthusiastically, looking at Jude, who was smiling nervously. Darius had yet to call her name and she could only wonder what he would be having her teach.

"Our man, Kwest, will be teaching about the technical side of the music process – production and engineering," Darius continued, as a very self-conscious Kwest gave the press a faint smile while gazing backwards at Sadie with a menacing glance, to which she simply shrugged and smiled back at him.

"And what would be a music camp without some instruction on how to make music?" Darius asked with a smile. Looking over towards Jude, he offered, "To help the kids learn the art of songwriting, we have our very own, Jude Harrison."

Jude smiled as the cameras flashed before her, getting a picture of her half-stunned, half-content expression.

"And of course," Darius added, "no songwriting instruction with Jude would be complete without the help of her partner in crime, Tom Quincy."

Jude's jaw immediately dropped at the sound of his words, questioning whether or not she had heard him correctly.

"Jude and Tommy will be teaching the kids about songwriting. Together. Our dream team," Darius said proudly, before moving on to cover the other questions and staff assignments.

"What?" Jude whispered loudly, not believing the words she had just heard.

"What?" Jamie reiterated, his eyes bulging at the thought of his girlfriend working with his worst enemy.

Jude's shocked gaze shifted slowly behind her towards Tommy, who was smiling awkwardly for the cameras. The thought of working with him for the summer elicited an odd mix of exhilaration and total anguish in her. She met his gaze and grinned nervously, seeing him mimic her exact expression, and then turned back towards the front.

"Four weeks? With him?" she whispered angrily. "How could Darius do that?"

"How do you think I feel?" Jamie whispered back in response, crossing his arms across his chest. "You—alone—with him. He's going to bring out those Boyz Attack dance moves to try to win you back."

Jude instantly turned towards him with an incredulous look on her face. "Jamie, you have got to be kidding…you have nothing to worry about. I chose you for a reason and besides, I hate Boyz Attack."

"True," he said quietly, considering her words.

"I just don't understand," Jude continued in a loud whisper, focusing back on the issue at hand. "I haven't been working with him for a few months now. No songwriting, no producing—nothing. It's been me and Kwest. Why would Darius pair us together?"

"Maybe he was afraid if Tommy were alone, he'd flirt with the campers?" Jamie offered skeptically. Jude turned towards him and rolled her eyes, not bothering to dignify his question with a response.

"I don't get it…wouldn't it have made more sense for Tommy to teach them about production and Kwest and me to be paired together?" she asked.

"Dude," Speed offered quietly, leaning over from next to Jamie, apparently having listened in on their conversation. "Not to be devil's advocate or whatever, but you and Lord Squinty Frown did make two albums together. Two _successful_ albums, I might add."

Jude and Jamie both silenced at his statement, accepting its truth. She did have to admit that they wrote some really great music together…and Tommy was the one who essentially taught her how to put together a killer song.

But that was all in the past. She couldn't work with him now, let alone sustain a conversation of more than five words. How was she going to get through four weeks of being co-instructors with him?

Sighing heavily, Jude closed her eyes and quietly mumbled, "This is going to be a very long summer."


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all of your reviews. I love reading everything you have to say!

Here's the next chapter...it's a little longer and has some background on Tommy and Jude's relationship since she chose Jamie. The chapter after this one includes our first longer Jommy scene...but whether it will be good or bad, you'll just have to wait and see!

Thanks again everyone! I hope you like this chapter...ENJOY!

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me, Sadie?" Jude whined, her head in her hands looking over the desk.

"I couldn't," Sadie replied, hastily putting some papers into a manila envelope before standing up. "I told you, I was sworn to secrecy. Darius practically made me give him blood when he told me."

"So? I'm your sister," Jude replied desperately, watching her address the manila envelope. "Your blood _is_ my blood. We stick together, don't we?"

"It doesn't work that way, Jude. Not this time, at least," Sadie responded quickly, sealing the envelope and placing it in her outbin. "Look, this was a big deal for Darius. He put his own cash into this project and a ton of time…he really wants it to work out and he wanted it to be a surprise."

"A surprise?" Jude asked with a fake chuckle. "Sadie, a surprise would've been a salary bonus…a new coat of paint…a company pet…" Jude ranted, following her sister towards the kitchen. "Not four weeks stuck in the middle of nowhere with no contact to the outside world!"

"Wow, overdramatic much?" Sadie asked, spinning around to face her.

Jude sighed, trying to regain her composure. "It's just…_camp_…it isn't me."

"And you think it's _me?_" Sadie asked with raised eyebrows. "Do you think I like the idea of being out in the woods with a bunch of screaming kids for a month? Not at all! But this is Darius' dream. We have to support it—support him."

"So…" Jude started quietly, "we're really going to do this? Bug spray and sleeping bags?"

Sadie smiled sympathetically, wrapping an arm around Jude's shoulders. "You did always tell Mom you wanted to go to camp."

"I told Mom I wanted to _run away_ to camp. This is different," Jude responded dejectedly, walking with Sadie to the kitchen. "I just don't like the idea of stopping my album when it's almost finished."

"Right," Sadie said, eyeing her skeptically. "And that's the only reason why you don't like this camp thing?"

"Well, apart from the whole being one with nature thing, yes—that's it," Jude attested, watching Sadie fill a mug of coffee.

"So then…" Sadie started, stirring sugar into her coffee with a faint grin on her face, "this has nothing to do with your new little working arrangement?"

Sensing her insinuation, Jude immediately stiffened but attempted to keep a calm exterior.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right," Sadie replied dubiously. "So I just imagined that panicky and wilted expression you had on your face when Darius announced that you and Tommy would be working together again?"

Knowing that Sadie had her trapped, Jude whimpered loudly, her hands and head collapsing on the counter. "Sadie…what do I do? I can't spend all summer with him…I can't even be in the same room as him!"

"Ahhh…how times have changed," Sadie reminisced, referring to Jude's once crush on her former producer.

"Sadie, I'm serious!" Jude exclaimed. "I don't know if I can do this. I'm actually in a good place now and Jamie's going to be upset—"

"He shouldn't be," Sadie interjected. "It's not like there's anything to worry about. Right?"

"Of course," Jude responded quickly. "He's just…worried about me. That's all."

"Well, if it's such a big deal, then maybe you should talk to Darius," Sadie suggested, sliding next to Jude against the counter.

"You think?"

"Sure," Sadie said reassuringly. "It could be worth a shot. Ask him on his way out tonight."

Seeing her sister's doubtful expression, Sadie added, "Look, you don't have to. But I don't want to hear you complaining all summer. After all, the relationship you have, or don't have, with Tommy now is a result of your own choices, Jude," she remarked, before turning and walking back towards her desk.

Jude thought about her sister's words. She was right – this was all part of the consequences of her decision to be with Jamie, a decision that she constantly found herself thinking about.

Since he had returned from Asia, Tommy had made little attempt to contact her, and she certainly couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid her. She would've reacted the same way had the roles been reversed.

But still, there were times when their gazes would meet and she could make out the faint trace of disappointment in his eyes. It was at those times when she found herself wondering what her life would be like if she had chosen him instead of Jamie. She would smile, picturing the two of them laughing together over coffee, but the same notion would always penetrate her thoughts – he was Tommy. The king of hurting her. Mr. Anti-Commitment. It would only be a matter of time until she was left alone and hurt, with no boyfriend and no best friend.

While she didn't regret her decision, she had to admit that part of her truly missed Tommy's presence in her life. She missed having him in the studio and spending time together.

But the thought of working with him was not something she was prepared to do. She wouldn't know what to say to him or how to act. Sighing to herself, Jude resigned to talk to Darius about it, knowing that it would be her only way out.

So, like Sadie had suggested, Jude found Darius at 5:00 in his office, packing up to leave.

She lightly knocked on the edge of the door, "D?"

He looked up and waved her in. "You can come in, as long as it's quick. I have kung fu in 20 minutes."

"Sure, no problem," she said hurriedly, sitting on the edge of the chair in front of his desk. "I just wanted to say, congratulations on this whole camp thing. It's a really great idea and I'm happy to help out wherever I can."

He grinned, clearly happy to hear her words. "Thanks, Jude. That means a lot."

"And I know you had me scheduled to teach songwriting with Tommy, but I was thinking," Jude started, nervously twiddling her thumbs, "maybe I could be of more help teaching something on my own. Like recording. I could show them how to lay down a track and how to give it your all."

Darius stood there quietly, mulling over her suggestion. But as quickly as her proposal had been made, he dismissed it with a quick shake of the head.

"No, I think that's pretty much being covered by Kwest. Besides, I need you to teach the kids what you know best – and that's songwriting."

Jude let out a shaky breath, but she quickly thought on her feet, attempting to persuade him again.

"True, but I think Tommy should be fine to teach songwriting on his own. Wouldn't it make more sense to use us all individually to offer the most number of programs possible?"

Darius walked over to the corner of his office to grab his jacket. "Jude, what is this about?"

"What?" Jude asked, feigning innocence.

"You, coming in here, asking to teach something different. I didn't hear anyone else complain about their assignments. What's going on?" he asked, slipping his coat on.

She sighed loudly, running a hand through her hair. "I just…don't want to teach songwriting."

"Why not? You love songwriting."

"I know, but…" she began vaguely, not wanting to get into the specifics.

He walked back over to his desk and eyed her suspiciously, picking up on her uneasiness.

"Is this about Quincy?" he asked bluntly.

Her eyes widened and she found herself flustered at the mention of him. "I…ummm…no. Well, sort of…"

"The two of you have been dancing around this place for months now, avoiding each other like the plague," Darius started, dropping a file or two into his bag, looking at her surprised expression. "You think I didn't notice?"

"No. It's just…complicated," Jude attempted to explain.

He smirked at her answer, closing his bag. "Complicated or not, this is work, Jude. And the two of you need to put aside any personal problems you have."

"But D," Jude said, standing up and approaching his desk, "Tommy and I haven't worked together in months. We might've been your dream team at one point, but that's just not the case anymore."

Darius grabbed his bag and walked over to the other side of the desk where she was.

"I disagree," he replied. "Jude, whether or not you want to admit it, you and Quincy work well together. You balance each other. You bring out the best in each other, at least in the studio."

Walking out of his office with her trailing behind, he continued. "And songwriting is going to be the most important programming option we're giving these kids…and I want it to be the best. Just having one of you doesn't give them that. Understand?"

Jude nodded silently, knowing that her fight was quickly dying out.

"Hey," he said gently, stopping outside his office and seeing her disappointed expression. "Don't you know how excited the kids will be to have _both_ of you teaching that course?"

"I guess…"

"Good, then it's settled," he concluded briskly, closing the door to his office and starting to walk towards the exit. "I expect you both to put whatever issues you have aside for this. It's for the kids. Just remember that."

At that, he turned and swiftly walked out the door, leaving a frustrated and anxious Jude in his tracks.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi guys! Thanks again for all of your reviews!! You all are the best!

Here's the next chapter and as promised, this will be our first real Jommy interaction. I hope everyone keeps in mind that this is still the beginning of our story, so please don't be upset quite yet. There's plenty more to go!

Also, the story jumps ahead a few weeks to where they're leaving Toronto to go to the camp. I think that's it! Let me know what you think, I love to hear your feedback. Thanks and ENJOY!

* * *

Climbing onto the bus, Jude awkwardly fumbled with her backpack, feeling it stuck on the zipper of her jacket. She quickly tried to pull it free, feeling the line of people behind her push her further into the bus. Feeling it still stuck, she grumbled and walked back towards the middle of the bus where she spotted Jamie sitting.

Sighing loudly, she collapsed into the seat next to him and grasped her bag and jacket, immediately pulling harder on each to separate them.

"What did you do?" Jamie asked curiously, watching her eventually tug her backpack free from the teeth of the zipper.

"Don't ask," she mumbled, pushing her backpack onto the ground below her and slumping down in her seat. "Seriously, I am not meant to go to camp."

Jamie smirked at her. "Just be happy we all get to stay together."

"We do?" Jude asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah," he replied. "I overheard Portia talking to Sadie. Sounds like we're all staying in some kind of staff quarters or something. It's probably far from glamorous, but at least it'll be nicer than bunks."

Jude nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that'll be good."

"I mean, the food is going to suck," Jamie continued, "they're going to make us swim in a lake, and my allergies are going to be unbearable…but hey, at least we'll have each other, right?"

Unable to get the thought of swimming in a lake out of her head, Jude skeptically answered, "Right."

Sighing again, she sat up a little straighter and glanced over at Jamie, who was pulling a binder out of his bag.

"What's that?" she asked.

"My lesson plans," he replied proudly, opening the binder.

"Lesson plans?" she repeated with a snigger. "Jamie, this is camp. Not a pre-school teaching assignment."

"We have to be prepared, Jude," he replied seriously, showing her the binder contents. "See, this red tab is the first lesson where we're going to talk about the structure of record companies. Who's who, what everyone does…then we'll move on to how record companies make money—"

"Jamie, you're supposed to be teaching them about how to get signed. Not about the history of record studios," she reminded him.

"This information is necessary to know in order to get signed, Jude," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

She shook her head in disbelief and mumbled, "Whatever you say, Jamie."

"What are you and Quincy going to teach them?" Jamie asked, closing the binder.

"Ummm, songwriting?" she replied sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

"No, I mean what types of things about songwriting are you going to teach? Are you going to show them how to write lyrics? Or how to create a melody?"

Jude paused in silence, mulling over all of his questions. "I…don't know…"

"Well, maybe you should figure it out," Jamie replied, eyeing her closely. "Everyone else has their programs all mapped out."

"They do?" she asked in alarm.

Jamie nodded. "SME even brought a bunch of instruments to show them each week."

Jude sat quietly in thought, while Jamie began scribbling down ideas for teambuilding exercises. She contemplated her options:

1. She could come up with programming ideas on her own.

2. She could come up with ideas and then discuss them with Tommy.

3. She and Tommy could come up with ideas together.

Her initial instinct was to avoid options 2 and 3, as both of them would involve actually initiating conversation with Tommy. Since they had been informed that they would be working together, he had managed to stay further away from her than before. He remained in his office or in a studio, carefully avoiding any potential interaction.

But despite his obvious avoidance, she knew that eventually, they would have to cross that line. They would have to talk and be civil enough to run a music program together. And though she didn't want to, she knew that choosing option 1 would only exacerbate the situation.

Scanning the bus, she spotted Tommy in the back with his headphones on. Seeing him sitting there, with his eyes closed, appearing to be so peaceful, Jude suddenly felt a boost of confidence. She knew what she had to do. And rather than delay the inevitable, she decided to be the bigger person. If she was the one who caused their relationship to be strained, then she should be the one to take the first steps towards mending it.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Jamie asked, watching her balance herself on the moving bus.

"To start my summer off on the right foot," she declared quietly, before taking a step towards the back of the bus.

She felt Jamie's eyes glued to her back as she clumsily padded her way towards Tommy. As the bus made an unexpected sharp turn, she found herself tumbling into the seat next to him, arriving with a large thump, causing him to open his eyes and look over at her.

She nervously grinned at him, meeting his startled stare. Realizing that she wasn't leaving, he removed his headphones and looked at her, waiting for an explanation as to why she was there.

"I umm, figured we should get this over with," she mumbled quickly.

"Excuse me?" he replied, not knowing what she was referring to.

"You know…talking…to each other," she replied uncertainly, running a hand through her hair.

"Who said we weren't?"

"Tommy," she started, looking at him questioningly, "when was the last conversation we had that went beyond a hello? Or how's it going? Or can you let me know when you're done using this studio? I'd say that isn't much talking."

He shrugged indifferently. "I've been busy."

"I know, we all have," she agreed, leaning back against the seat, starting to regret her attempt to be the mature one. "How's umm…how's Karma's album going?"

"Good," he replied. "Almost done."

"That's good," she responded with a nod. "And…umm…how's your, umm—"

"Jude," he interjected, eyeing her closely. She knew her nerves were completely transparent, as she glanced into his eyes. "Did you just come over to start talking again or was there actually a _reason_ for talking?"

She exhaled loudly, looking down at the ground. "I…I wanted to talk about our songwriting program."

"What about it?"

"Well," she began timidly, "everyone else already has their programs planned out. They know what they're teaching each week and how they're going to run everything. I just thought that we could…I don't know…"

"Talk?" he finished for her with a faint grin.

She couldn't help but smile in response. "Yeah, talk."

He nodded in understanding. "So…where do you want to start?"

"Well…maybe we can think of some topics."

"I don't know," he started, scratching his head. "I mean, it should be pretty simple. You write the lyrics and then I add onto them. That's all that's really involved, right?"

"Well, not exactly," she contested warily, feeling like he had just made the whole songwriting process seem insignificant. "I mean, sometimes we start with the beat and then put music to it, and then we bring in the lyrics."

"When have we done that?" he questioned, eyeing her skeptically.

Thinking for a moment, she responded, "Over-rated. And Waste My Time."

He scoffed at her response. "Two songs?"

"Yeah, two songs," she said, her voice becoming stronger as her frustration grew. "It doesn't matter if it was a song that never made it on the album, Tommy. We need to show the kids the _whole_ process."

"Fine," he responded apathetically. "Anything else?"

"Well, we need enough topics to last four weeks," she replied knowingly. "What about where the inspiration comes from, how you go about putting the song all together..."

"Those are fine," he said unenthusiastically. "You went to that classroom to write How I Feel, right? So we'll just do whatever you did there."

"Okay…but don't you have any ideas?" she posed, her irritation coming through her voice.

"Not right now," he responded flatly, avoiding her gaze.

"Nothing?" she replied heatedly, staring at him.

"Look, Jude, this isn't my thing," he attempted to explain. "I'm not like some people with their anal retentive binders and color coded lesson plans..."

Hearing his words, Jude's eyes immediately widened in defensiveness. She felt her heartbeat quicken, knowing that his attitude was no longer just about the music program.

In an attempt to avoid punching the living daylights out of him, she took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Look, maybe it's best if we just…do this separately. I'll come up with some ideas and you come up with your own."

"Fine," he agreed coldly, picking up his headphones again.

About to leave, Jude gave him a quick glance and added, "Just so you know, Darius expects this program to be the best. So whatever personal issues you might have with me or my boyfriend need to be put aside. This isn't about us. It's about the kids."

At that, she turned on her heel and made her way swiftly back to her original seat. Tommy's eyes followed her for a few moments, watching as she sat back down with Jamie and rested against him. His expression changed to appear more reflective before quickly putting his headphones back on and closing his eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi again! I'm back with another chapter. This one might be a bit of a filler, but I swear, there's plenty of drama coming soon...especially in the next chapter, which is one of my faves so far. If you like this one, let me know and I should be able to post the next one over the weekend.

Thanks again for all of your reviews! Keep letting me know what you think - it totally inspires me to write more!

This chapter picks up at the end of the bus ride, as they're arriving at the camp. I think that's it, ENJOY!

* * *

Stepping foot outside the bus, Jude immediately shielded her eyes from the bright sun that was reflecting against the yellow background of the bus. Her eyes slowly adjusted to her surroundings – the multiple shades of green, the sound of birds chirping, the smell of clean, fresh air. She took a deep breath and exhaled, suddenly feeling as though she was leaving all of her problems back on the bus.

"Can everyone please gather your belongings and follow me?" Sadie called from beside the bus. Jude grinned lightly watching her. While they all had been transported to a more earthy, natural environment, Sadie had clearly not gotten the memo. She stood before the group in her stuffy work suit, black heels, and her hair in a bun. The only faint indication that she was not actually in an office was the blue and white t-shirt with the camp logo she wore beneath her suit jacket.

"Jude! Can you help instead of standing there staring at me?" Sadie quietly pressed, approaching her sister.

"Sorry…I just didn't realize that the attire for summer camp includes pinstripes and four inch heels," Jude replied with a smile, before turning to grab her duffel bag from the pile behind them.

"I need to look official!" Sadie called after her, before turning around and hording the troops.

After they all had their belongings, they followed Sadie down a dirt road to a large wooden building with a porch out front. As she walked, Jude couldn't help but feel a sense of tranquility. There was very little noise, no cell phones ringing, no one arguing…she began to actually become more eager about staying for the next four weeks.

But as they all entered the large building, screams and shouts immediately resounded, echoing off the walls loudly enough to make Jude accidentally drop her bag on Jamie's foot.

"Sorry!" she called through the noise, looking around at the frenetic room brimming with kids of all ages.

The campers applauded and hollered as the G-Major staff made their way towards the front of the room. The energy was high, and Jude could vaguely hear her name being called as she looked around with a smile at the excited kids around her.

Walking further, she began to hear high pitched shrieks that could only be produced by the presence of Tom Quincy, who was a few people behind her. She idly rolled her eyes, knowing that he was enjoying every minute of it.

"Welcome!" Darius called from a stage that was at the front of the room. "I need all G-Major staff up here with me."

They all put their bags at the foot of the stage and began walking up the stairs, hearing the cries and screams from the kids continue. As Jude made her way to the top of the stairs, she heard her name being called and wild applause. She smiled and waved enthusiastically, genuinely happy to see the reception.

"Can you believe we're here? We're actually at camp, Jamie!" she exclaimed, walking towards the back of the stage so that SME could wave to their fans.

"I know, it feels…weird," he admitted, staring blankly around the room. "I can't believe we're really going to have to stay in this place for four weeks."

"It's not that bad," she countered. "It could be nice getting out of the city for awhile, you know?"

With a look of surprise, he glanced over to see the bright smile on her face. "Since when did you become the camp cheerleader? I thought you and camp don't mix."

She shrugged at his observation. "I don't know…I guess I thought it was going to be different. This place just seems to be so refreshing. And exciting. Everything's clean and new. Can't you feel it?"

He raised his eyebrows at her question. "The only thing I can feel is the sweat from all of the people cramped into this room. Don't they have air conditioning in this place?"

Jude rolled her eyes as the rest of the staff finished filing onto the stage around them and Darius cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.

As he attempted to quiet the room of kids down, everyone took note of the change in Darius' appearance. Instead of the standard suit and tie, he was actually wearing jeans and the same camp t-shirt that Sadie had on. He looked relaxed and comfortable, sporting designer sneakers and a wide smile.

"Hello everyone!" he shouted, looking around the room. "I'd like to officially welcome you all to the first session of Camp Marion!"

Cheers were heard around the room at his introduction, echoing loudly throughout the four walls.

"The next four weeks are going to be the best of your life…and I personally guarantee it," he continued.

"To start us off, I am going to introduce you to a few important people you all need to know. I'm sure you all met Sadie Harrison as you picked up your bunk assignments in the office," he said, pointing to Sadie on the side of the stairs, who waved timidly. "She's in charge of our camp's office, and to answer everyone's question…yes, she is Jude's sister."

A few whistles were heard at the sound of Jude's name, which made her blush at the back of the stage. Darius continued, introducing Portia, as well as the Directors of Athletics, Swimming, and Arts.

"And finally, my right-hand man, the one who will be in charge when I'm not able to be here, Mr. Josh Rider," he said, as a guy with brown hair, jeans and a polo shirt, stepped up beside Darius. "Josh will be the camp's co-director. He'll be managing everything on a day to day basis, including all of the staff."

Josh smiled and gave a quick wave to the crowd before stepping back down the steps towards his seat.

"And speaking of the staff," Darius resumed, "You all have met your primary counselors who will be in charge of the bunks. But in addition to them, we have these very special people behind me, the staff of G-Major."

Another roar from the crowd was heard at the mention of the musicians.

"These are the people who are going to make this camp extra special for each and every one of you. They are all extremely talented and are kind enough to bring their knowledge of the music industry to you.

"This camp will be home for all of us over the next four weeks, so I urge everyone to make the most of your time with the professional musicians. Morning, noon, and night, the G-Major staff will be at your fingertips to answer questions, talk about their experiences, and help shed some light on the importance of music."

"Morning, noon, and night?" Jamie repeated quietly to Jude, a look of fear on his face. "I don't want them waking me up in the middle of the night!"

"It's just a figure of speech, Jamie," she replied with a quick eye roll.

"No way, Jude. I'm not going anywhere near them after dinner," he declared. "They might look all cute and innocent now, but at night, they turn into little monsters and put shaving cream in your shoes."

Jude turned towards him with a tight grin, trying to suppress her laughter. "Jamie, just relax…they're kids, not axe murderers. We'll be fine. And besides, we're not staying with them at night, so the chances of them getting to us are pretty slim."

Jamie quieted at her words but continued to appear thoughtful, as they both turned back towards the front of the stage, where Darius was concluding his speech.

"And then, at the end of the session," Darius explained, "everyone will get the chance to show off what you've learned in a big campwide talent show."

"Finally, one last note about the staff before we break for lunch," he started with a mysterious grin. "I've decided to add something extra special to the role of the G-Major staff this summer. It's something that will help enrich their experiences as much as all of the campers'.

"Starting today, each G-Major staff member will not only run their own music course, but they will also be working with a bunk to get to know all of you aspiring musicians on a more personal level."

A murmur of questioning broke out amongst the staff on the stage. Jude felt Jamie stiffen next to her but refused to look over and see the anxious expression on his face.

"That's right…instead of having all of the music staff live in one cabin, I figured it would be more…_fun_…if they're truly integrated into your day to day lives. Which is why I've decided that the G-Major staff will be living with all of you in the bunks this summer."

At the sound of his words, ecstatic screams reverberated around the room from the campers, while not a single noise was made from the shocked staff on the stage.

Turning towards Jude, a panic-stricken Jamie stared at her with wide eyes.

He opened his mouth to scream out for mercy, but Jude quickly smacked her hand against his mouth, preventing any audible sounds from escaping into the room and ruining the kids' excitement.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi - I'm really sorry about the delay but I wanted to get this chapter just right. This is actually one of my favorite chapters that I've written so far for this story, so I hope you all like it! And I've managed to start a few upcoming chapters, so hopefully there will be updates more frequently. :)

Thanks so much for all of your reviews! I really appreciate them and please, keep them coming! I love hearing your thoughts. So without further ado...enjoy!

From the last chapter:

_"That's right…instead of having all of the music staff live in one cabin, I figured it would be more…fun…if they're truly integrated into your day to day lives. Which is why I've decided that the G-Major staff will be living with all of you in the bunks this summer."_

Jamie opened his mouth to scream out for mercy, but Jude quickly smacked her hand against his mouth, preventing any audible sounds from escaping into the room and ruining the kids' excitement.

And now onto the new chapter...

* * *

"Seriously, I think we need to get him to the infirmary."

"No, just get him a paper bag!"

"I think I saw a water fountain back there…"

"What about a sedative? Karma, didn't you bring your Nyquil?"

"Nyquil? Nyquil?! How is Nyquil going to help him?!"

"Karma, would you calm down? You're not helping!"

Quiet finally fell over the crowd as Jude crouched down beside the panicky figure on the floor.

"Jamie? Jamie, are you okay?" she asked, touching his arm.

"Jude…bag…" he said, in between heaves of breath.

"Bag, get a bag!" she yelled backwards, as Speed took off like lightening. A few seconds later, he came back holding an empty potato chip bag and handed it over to Jamie.

"Sorry for the crumbs," Speed muttered, watching as Jamie began breathing in and out of it steadily, hoping to catch his breath. Jude remained next to him, rubbing his back, trying to calm him down.

Everyone surrounded him without a sound, anticipating any sudden movement or noise he might make.

Still heaving into the bag, Jamie's breathing finally began to become calmer, as he edged the potato chip bag away from his mouth long enough to ask,

"What happened?"

Jude replied, "Well…as Darius was listing the bunks we're all assigned to, you said you felt dizzy. And as soon as he was done and told everyone to go to lunch, you pretty much collapsed on the floor."

From behind the bag, Jamie closed his eyes, reliving the moments before. "Did I…cause a scene?"

"Not really," Jude answered. "Luckily, almost everyone had left the building by the time you actually collapsed, so it was just us who noticed."

Jamie slowly lowered the bag and looked up at all of the faces around him. His cheeks quickly became a deep scarlet, realizing the attention that was suddenly on him.

"You okay there, man?" Kwest asked, peering down on him.

"Yeah, yeah…sorry…" Jamie said quickly.

"Was it the heat? Or the lights?" Karma asked curiously. "Or Wally's breath?"

"Hey!" was heard from the back of the crowd.

"No…it was just…" Jamie started edgily, "it was nothing. Really. Just…one of those…things…"

"So…you're okay, dude?" Speed asked, looking at him skeptically.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you all for your concern," Jamie said, before attempting to stand on his feet with Jude helping him.

The group slowly started dispersing, people giving him a quick pat on the back before stepping off the stage.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jude whispered to him, still concerned.

"Yeah…I think it was just…the news, that's all," he whispered vaguely.

"Don't take this the wrong way," she started, treading lightly, "but I don't get it. Why would living in a bunk be such a big deal?"

He exhaled deeply and shook his head. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'll…be fine."

But before she could question his response, they heard a voice behind them.

"Hey…you want some water?"

They both turned around to see Tommy standing behind them, holding out a bottle of water towards Jamie.

Jamie gave a quick glance towards Jude, who was looking down at the ground, clearly still angry with Tommy's reaction to her earlier attempt at reconciliation.

Hesitating for a moment, Jamie took the water bottle from his hand, muttering a simple, "Thanks."

"It's hot in here, it's understandable," Tommy said quietly, watching him drink a few sips. His eyes drifted towards Jude, who was still staring at the floor with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, well, you know…the lights and all," Jamie justified, handing the water back to Tommy.

Tommy gave him a quick nod, then looked again towards Jude, who was now standing upright but was facing the other direction. "I…umm…was hoping I could talk to Jude for a second."

Jamie glanced at Jude, then back at Tommy, his expression showing his apprehension. Noticing both of their skepticism, Tommy quickly added, "It's about the songwriting program."

Jude looked up at Jamie and gave him a small nod. "It's okay. I'll meet you at lunch."

"I can wait if you want," Jamie offered, still not trusting them alone together.

"That's okay, I'll be quick," she replied reassuringly.

He gave her a quick kiss before flashing Tommy an attempt at a threatening glance. He then stepped down the stairs, leaving Tommy and Jude alone on the stage.

Sighing, she turned towards him, wrapping her arms closely around herself. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"Two things," he said, digging his hand into the back pocket of his jeans and producing a piece of paper.

"This is first," he added, handing her the paper.

She unwillingly took it and opened it up to read lines of his handwriting.

_Breaking apart the structure of a song_

_Creating the Beat_

_Deciding whether it should be a rock song or a ballad_

_The importance of the bridge_

_What to include in a chorus_

…

The list went on for a full page with over 20 ideas written down. Jude's mouth gaped as she read through all of the ideas, totally surprised. As she finished the list, she looked up at him.

"What is this?"

"What does it look like?" he asked in return. "It's a list of program ideas."

"But…I thought you said…"

"I know what I said," he interjected, "and it was true. I didn't have any ideas at that moment. But that three hour bus ride gave me some time to think."

"And…you came up with all of these?"

He nodded. "Are they enough? I had a few others, but these were the best ones."

"Tommy, these are more than enough," she replied, her eyes scanning the page again. "I think these are enough for six months of programs."

He grinned at her words. She looked up from the page and added, "Thank you. I didn't think…well…I just assumed you wouldn't…"

"Want to do this?" he finished for her. "I didn't…I don't."

She furrowed her brow questioningly, as he quickly added, "I mean, I don't want to do this whole camp thing. This is like, my own worst nightmare come true."

She smirked quietly hearing his confession. "Yeah…I guess hair gel isn't really compatible with the woods."

He shook his head. "It's not just the hair…I'm…just…"

"What?" she asked, prodding him.

"I'm not…" he started, running a hand through his hair, "I'm just not good with kids."

She looked at him in surprise. "Yes, you are…I mean, I saw you at Darius' school a couple of years ago. You were fine with them."

"Yeah, from a distance," he explained.

"Tommy, none of us are good with kids," she reminded him. "We're musicians, not babysitters. But we'll learn…we all will…"

"I know," he replied uncertainly. "It's just…kind of like being alone in a foreign country for awhile, you know?"

"Yeah," she agreed quietly, thinking about the implication of his words.

She felt her cheeks flush, knowing that his statement was more about the time he spent in Asia than being in camp. The time he had spent alone. Without her.

Her glance fell to the floor as he cleared his throat to relieve the tension.

"I…umm…also wanted to apologize," he said quietly.

"For what?"

"For what I said in the bus…about the binder…"

She gave a quick nod of recognition, "Right."

"It was…out of line," he said. "And I'm sorry."

She took a deep breath to say what she needed to get out. "Tommy…I know this situation…it's not ideal for either of us. But we have to work together and at least _appear_ to get along. I need to know that you're going to be okay with that."

He nodded, "I get it."

"It's not that I think we should forget about everything," she added. "But we need to just…get past it all. Move on, at least for now. You know?"

"Move on," he repeated in thought. "Yeah, that's cool."

She nodded silently in agreement, feeling more relaxed and content to be in his presence.

"So…think we can hold it together long enough to go through this list?" she posed, glancing down at the folded paper still in her hand.

He scratched his head thoughtfully and responded, "Actually…no."

"No?"

"Well, not now at least," he explained, the grin emerging slowly across his face. "I'm hungry."

She grinned back, realizing how hungry she had also become.

"Yeah, you know, lunch does sound good. So maybe we can talk later?"

He nodded. "You can count on it."

She smiled in return, genuinely feeling her spirits lifted and her anxiety fade. She turned and walked down the steps, attempting to pick up her duffle that was still on the floor. Watching her try to hoist the bag over her shoulder, Tommy went over and grabbed it from her, holding it alongside his own duffle.

"What did you pack in here? Twelve pairs of shoes and some cement?" Tommy asked teasingly, as they began making their way out of the building. "I never realized you and Sadie were so similar."

"Hey now," Jude warned him, walking towards the door. "If you're not nice to me, I'll tell all of your campers about the separate bag you brought just for your hair products."

He laughed and opened the door for her to head out towards the dining hall. "Like you said, camp and my hair are not a good match…"


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone! So this next chapter is the last one in the 'introductory' portion of the story - after this, we're officially into their day to day life at camp when all the fun begins. :) So thank you all for sticking with me and for all of your reviews! Please keep 'em coming! Hope you all have a nice Labor Day weekend! Enjoy!

* * *

Walking along the dirt road, Jude felt the blue of her Converse sneakers became covered in a light brown. She gripped her duffle bag a little tighter and continued walking, grasping how truly large the camp grounds sprawled.

"I can't believe they put me with the youngest kids!" Karma exclaimed from next to her. "I mean, when you look at me, does the word _maternal_ come to mind?"

Jude glanced over to see her red button-down shirt tied just above her belly button and short jean skirt. She smirked upon her assessment, "I'd say that the chances of you being maternal are about as high as me ever wearing that outfit."

"See!" Karma responded. "I can't handle a bunch of nine year olds!"

"Well, my bunk of thirteen-year olds is going to be pretty hard too," Jude started, thinking about her own bunk assignment.

"Thirteen year olds? They'll be a piece of cake," Karma countered. "At least you can talk to them like normal people. What am I supposed to say to a nine year old? How's your Hello Kitty?"

Jude laughed lightly. "I'm sure you'll think of something. Besides, you'll have the other counselors there to help. The primary counselors, the other music specialist in the boy's bunk—"

"The other music specialist? Speed is more of a child than they are!"

"True…but maybe he'll be good with the kids," Jude attempted. "And if he's in the boy's bunk and you're in the girl's, then at least you'll get to see each other."

"That's true," Karma said thoughtfully, a devious grin emerging on her face. "Maybe we can sneak off at night! Like a secret love affair! Haven't you always wanted to do it in the woods?!"

Jude turned towards Karma with a look of doubt. "Just make sure you check for poison ivy before you lay down on the ground."

"Right…good point," Karma replied. "So is everything okay with Jamie?"

"I think so," Jude replied tentatively. "I mean, he's got some weird issue with staying with the kids, but I have no clue where that comes from."

"Maybe it's that only child syndrome," Karma offered. "Or maybe it's some inexplicable phobia."

"Maybe," Jude replied quietly, her thoughts drifting to Jamie.

Karma, on the other hand, diverted her attention to the woman in front of them. "Hey, miss! Miss!!"

The woman leading the group turned around to face Karma, as all of the girls stopped walking. "It's Erin."

"Right, Erin," Karma said with a sugary sweet smile. "How much longer of a walk is it until we get to Girl's Camp? I mean, we passed Boy's Camp at least five minutes ago and my shoes are seriously not good for this level of activity."

Erin glanced down at Karma's leopard print sandals and smirked. "Well maybe you should've worn more appropriate footwear. Girl's Camp is just up the road. It's pretty far from Boy's Camp…for obvious reasons."

"Clearly _she's_ not getting any action this summer," Karma muttered quietly to Jude as they all began walking again. "This is probably one of the rare times that I really wish I were your sister."

"I know," Jude agreed. "Staying in the air conditioned cabin with Portia? It seems like a dream come true right now."

"Speaking of dreamy…," Karma started, "you know who didn't look too upset about staying in the bunks?"

"Who?"

"Little Tommy Q," Karma replied knowingly. "He seemed all tense when Darius first announced everything, but did you see how all the girls attacked him during lunch?"

Jude nodded, remembering the scene. "Yep. It was tough to miss."

"Even the guys were swarmed around him. There were kids of all ages – from nine to fourteen! Do they even know who Boyz Attack is?"

"Probably not," Jude replied. "But he's Tommy. They all know him."

Karma looked over at her. "So, are you two all BFF again?"

"BFF?" Jude repeated. "I don't think we were ever really that…but we're at least on speaking terms again."

"That's too bad," Karma said regretfully. "Your little hiatus was very beneficial for my album."

"It was?"

"Oh yeah," Karma explained. "He was with me all the time! Helping me write lyrics, trying different beats, mixing all night…it was great! All of his attention was on me."

"Great," Jude grumbled.

"You might just want to keep that in mind when we get back to Toronto…maybe you can try resuming the silent treatment?" Karma asked with a hopeful expression.

"We'll see," Jude said flatly, looking around to finally see a group of cabins in a row along the road.

"This," Erin announced, stopping the group, "is Girl's Camp."

"Finally!" Karma exclaimed, dropping her duffle on the ground.

"The bunks are arranged in age order," Erin explained, pointing to the row of cabins. "So over here are the youngest kids, the nine year olds, while all the way down there are the fourteen year olds."

"So ladies, the first name on my list is…Karma!" Erin called, reviewing the clipboard in her hand. "You're in this bunk here, Girls 1."

"Great," Karma muttered, picking up her bag yet again. "See ya, Jude."

"Good luck!" Jude called, watching Karma walk up the stairs and into her bunk, followed by a round of shrieks and screams from the little girls inside.

Jude followed Erin as she directed each of the other staff members towards bunks down the line.

"Jude Harrison," Erin called as Jude walked forward. "You're in Girls 5. It's right over there next to the oak tree."

"Thanks," Jude murmured before slowly walking towards the steps of the bunk. She was surprised to feel her nerves kick in and her pulse race as she approached the bunk.

Mounting each step, she gazed at the dark wood walls, realizing that this was going to be her new home for the next four weeks. She closed her eyes and made a quick wish that it would be an easy, fun few weeks before grabbing the small door handle and pulling it open.

As the door squeaked open, she heard a few gasps and whispers from inside.

She walked in and nervously smiled at the ten faces standing before her, surrounding the entrance.

"Hi," she said quietly, immediately feeling overwhelmed by their presence. "I'm…Jude."

As the words left her mouth, the calm in the bunk faded and was replaced by screams and hollers.

"Jude!"

"It's her!"

"Oh my god!!"

Without warning, she felt about six sets of arms smother her into some kind of odd group hug where the only thing she was directly hugging was her duffle bag. As her breath started to become constricted, she heard from behind her,

"Girls, girls – back up! Give Jude some space or you're going to kill her!"

Jude smiled sheepishly as she felt their grips loosen and the campers slowly retreat. She took a deep breath, feeling the air fill her lungs again, and quietly put her bag down on the floor.

"Sorry about that," a girl with curly brown hair said, approaching Jude. She was taller than the campers and wore a small white name tag on her camp t-shirt. "I'm Amy, the primary counselor. It's nice to meet you."

"Jude Harrison," Jude replied with a smile, holding out her hand to shake Amy's.

"This is your bed," Amy showed her, pointing to an empty twin bed at the front of the cabin. "That one across is mine. And then the kids are all in that back area."

Jude's gaze followed her gesture, realizing that there was a separate section through a screened door with two rows of bunk beds and a large bathroom.

"Nice," Jude said, surveying the small entry room, her eyes landing on the group of kids still anxiously waiting to talk to her. "So…should we start introductions?"

The girls all immediately leapt at her, eager to introduce themselves.

"I'm Jessica," a shorter girl with glasses said, shaking her hand. "I am like, in LOVE, with you. And your music. You're like, the coolest musician ever."

"Wow, thanks Jessica," Jude replied with a smile.

"I'm Hailey," another girl with blonde hair said. "I want to be a singer just like you."

"That's great, Hailey," Jude replied. "Do you write songs too?"

"No, but I signed up for your songwriting program, so I hope I will by the end of the summer," Hailey replied optimistically.

The rest of the girls excitedly introduced themselves too, leaving an exhausted Jude.

"Okay, girls," Amy announced, once they had all finished, "I think it's time to give Jude a break. She needs to get settled and unpack. Free swim is in twenty minutes, so why don't you all change into you suits?"

The girls all sighed disappointedly but opened the screen door to go back to their section.

"Thanks," Jude said, sitting down on her bed. "That was like ten Energizer bunnies."

"They've been talking about you all day," Amy said, sitting on her own bed. "Even before they realized you were staying here. They're all huge fans."

"Let's hope they still like me after living with me over these next four weeks," Jude replied with a smile.

Amy laughed lightly. "Yeah, I guess the expectation is kind of high for you. Fortunately, no one cares if I'm a slob."

Jude sniggered in response. "As long as they don't take pictures of my messiness. The paparazzi would just love to see shots of my underwear scattered all over the floor."

"Well, if they do, I can just claim it as my own," Amy said with a grin.

"Thanks," Jude said, leaning back on the bed and staring around their alcove. "You know, I really think this is going to be a good summer after all."

Amy nodded in response. "It will. For all of us."


	8. Chapter 8

Hi guys! I'm sooooo sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. The next couple of chapters are already written and just need to be edited, so I promise, it won't be this long in between updates again! I promise! Anyway, thanks to everyone who's been reviewing!! I hope you like this chapter (I think it's a goodie) and reviews are greatly appreciated. :) So here's the next chapter...enjoy!

* * *

"Is she awake yet?" 

"I don't know…should we check?"

"How do we check?"

"Just call her name and see if she answers."

"Okay…Jude? Jude? Are you awake?"

Hearing the muffled voices around her, Jude slowly stirred a bit in her bed, all warm and cozy.

"I don't think she's up yet."

"No, wait—I think she just moved her arm."

Coming into a more coherent state, Jude gently peeked out at the scene before her. Seeing the four girls staring down at her, she found herself confused, blinking harder to get a better sense as to where she was.

"What's…what's going on? Where am I?" she mumbled, starting to sit up in her bed.

"Camp Marion. Remember?" one of the girls responded.

She tiredly rubbed her eyes as the realization of her surroundings settled in. "What time is it?"

"7:30. I'm surprised you didn't hear the morning music. They blast it through the loudspeakers all over camp to wake us up at 7:00."

Finally recognizing her surroundings and the four smiling faces before her, she dazedly asked, "Do we always get up at 7:00?"

"Yep, breakfast is at 8:00," one of the girls who she remembered as Lauren replied.

"Great," Jude mumbled in response. "Well, thanks for getting me up. I'm not good with early mornings."

"Me either," Karly agreed, sitting on the edge of Jude's bed. "My mom says it takes her five tries to get me up in the morning for school."

"My mom sends in the dog to wake me up," another girl, Stacey added.

"How does the dog wake you up?" Karly asked her.

"He licks my feet, which are usually hanging off the edge of the bed," Stacey replied.

"Ewwww…."

Jude laughed lightly, as Amy entered the room from behind them.

"Morning," she said to Jude.

"Morning," Jude replied.

"Girls, do you have your stuff ready for your programs this morning? Remember, we may not have time to come back here after breakfast," Amy said, hanging a towel on a hook near her shelf.

"Oh right, I wanted to bring my video of my junior high talent show for Karma's performance program," Karly said, standing up from Jude's bed. The other girls quickly followed her back to their section through the screen door.

Sighing loudly, Jude stood up from her bed, stretching.

"Did you sleep okay?" Amy asked, putting on her sneakers.

"Yeah, surprisingly," Jude replied, digging through one of her shelves to produce jeans and a black tank top. "I almost forgot I wasn't at home."

"Me too," Amy agreed. "That is, until I woke up to five smiling thirteen year-olds standing around my bed."

"Good point," Jude concurred, quickly grabbing her toothbrush and heading for the bathroom in the back of the bunk.

- - -

Half an hour later, Jude was sitting at the long table in the dining hall, facing Amy on the other end with the kids on benches lining the sides. In her hand, she had just gotten her first cup of steaming hot coffee from the kitchen, feeling her anticipation build to take the first sip and officially start her day.

But as she sipped it, a bitter and pungent flavor covered her mouth, causing her to twist her face into a contorted look of disgust.

"Don't even try it," she heard from beside her, looking up over her styrofoam cup to see Tommy standing next to her.

"It's…horrible," she replied, coughing a bit to rid the flavor in her mouth.

"I know. It's more like gasoline than coffee," he agreed, sitting next to her on the edge of the bench where the campers were seated.

"Oh my god," Jessica started, pausing from scooping cereal into her mouth. "Is that…Tommy Q?"

Hearing her question, Tommy glanced behind him at the ten gaping faces around the table. "Hey," he said quietly with a quick wave.

Jessica spit out her cereal into her bowl and nearly choked in the process.

"Jessica, whoa! Are you okay?" Jude asked from across the table.

"Yeah, sorry," Jessica replied, coughing and nodding at the same time.

"That's Jessica," Jude said to Tommy. "And she's clearly a fan."

Jessica turned a light shade of red and flashed Tommy a nervous grin.

Tommy nodded. "Thanks, Jessica. It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Jessica replied, with an edge of excitement in her voice.

Tommy turned back towards Jude. "So…how's everything going?"

"Pretty good," she replied, attempting to act as normal as possible given the ten sets of eyes glued to the two of them. "The bunk's not bad and I actually slept. How about you?"

"Okay, I guess," he replied. "The girls wouldn't leave me alone last night. Who knew fourteen year olds could become stalkers?"

Jude smiled, looking at his mixed expression, contemplating whether or not to tease him. "Oh, come on…you loved it."

He faintly grinned and rolled his eyes, being reminded of how well she knew him. "Maybe I did, but it's weird being all famous again."

"Again? Tommy, I don't think you ever _weren't_ famous," she countered. "Besides, once they get to know you, they probably won't like you very much anyway."

"Very funny," he replied with a tight grin. "Anyway, I know you wanted to talk last night about the music program but with everything happening, I guess we got sidetracked."

"Yeah, I know," she agreed. "I wasn't sure what we should start with today, but I was thinking maybe the whole inspiration thing."

"That works," he agreed.

"Sadie gave me a whole bunch of notebooks that I was thinking of giving out. Like journals for them to carry around."

"That's a really good idea," he said sincerely. "Maybe we can give them some examples of inspiration from some of your songs."

Jude immediately thought about his suggestion, biting her lip in the realization that most of her songs were, in fact, about him.

"Well…maybe. Or maybe we could just make it…hypothetical," she suggested vaguely.

He eyed her curiously, seeing her start to play with her hair in a clear sign of uneasiness. Rather than question her nervous reaction, he opted to disregard it.

"Okay, either way," he said. "We should just make it realistic for them. Show them what kind of stuff you write about."

"Okay," she agreed, relieved that he didn't press her further.

"I wrote up this abbreviated list of topics last night," he said, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket.

As she started to review it, she heard a stern voice beside her.

"Jude Harrison?"

She looked up to see the co-director, Josh, standing next to her with a clipboard.

"Yes?"

"Here's your schedule for the week," he said, handing her a pink sheet of paper. On it, she read the hours for every day and where she was scheduled to be during those times.

"You'll be teaching three to four sessions of songwriting a day, each for a different age group," he explained. "The rest of the day you either have a free period or will be joining your bunk in their activities."

"Okay," she replied, scanning the schedule.

"And you would be…Tom Quincy?" Josh asked.

"That I am," Tommy replied with a nod.

"Well then, I believe your seat would be over _there_," Josh said, pointing to a table towards the back of the dining hall.

Tommy looked at him in confusion. "Right, I am sitting over there. I just had to talk to Jude about our program for a few minutes."

"Well Tom, we don't believe that meals are the appropriate time to be socializing outside the bunk," Josh said firmly, peering at Tommy over his clipboard. "So I suggest you return to your table and talk to Jude later."

Jude watched as Tommy began to grind his jaw in frustration. Through gritted teeth, he replied, "Since we have our first songwriting program in half an hour, I figured now was as good a time as any."

"Well, now you know the rules," Josh replied with an air of arrogance. "Please return to your seat."

Tommy flashed Jude a look that could only be described as extreme aggravation before standing up off the bench.

"Don't I get my schedule?" he asked Josh.

"When you're back at your table, I'll bring it around," Josh replied, turning and making his way to the next table.

Watching him retreat, Tommy vaguely shook his head and muttered, "What a complete—"

"Tommy!" Jude interrupted, looking around the table at the enthralled campers. "Remember? Kids?"

"Right," he said, before sighing. "I'll see you after breakfast."

"Okay," she replied, watching him grumble and walk back to his table.

Turning back towards the table, Jude heard Jessica's voice quietly say.

"Wow…he's…got nice hair."

Jude couldn't help but snigger at her comment. "That's probably the highest compliment you can give him."

* * *

_A/N: Next chapter is their first songwriting program...it's a cute one and something to look forward to. :)_


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks everyone for all of your reviews! I love reading everything you have to say - it totally inspires me! So new chapter for you all. :) It's their first program together, as promised. I hope you like it - I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you think!! And enjoy!

* * *

Standing before the twenty excited nine and ten year-olds sitting on the floor, Jude nervously smiled and cleared her throat to begin. 

"Hi…I'm, umm, Jude," she started, hearing her voice waver with her nerves. She glanced over beside her, looking at Tommy who was staring down at the faces with what appeared to be an equal amount of nervousness.

Silently, she elbowed him in the ribs, as he added, "Oh right…and I'm Tommy."

"And this will be the songwriting program," she concluded, smiling widely at the kids. "So…umm…how many of you have ever written a song?"

About five or six hands shot up in the air at her question.

"Really? Great," she said at their reaction. She looked over at one girl in particular with long brown hair. "What kind of song did you write?"

"It was for school," the girl answered. "We had to write a song about Christmas."

"Okay…and how did you go about writing it?" Jude asked.

The little girl shrugged. "I don't know. I think my mom helped me."

She heard Tommy smirk from beside her but ignored him, pointing to another boy who had risen his hand. "And you? What did you write a song about?"

"It was for Mother's Day," the boy answered. "My dad thought it would be nice if me and my brothers all wrote a song for my mom, so we did."

"That's great," Jude remarked.

"Not really," the boy said. "My mom got sick from the pancakes we made too and we never got around to singing the song to her."

At that, Tommy immediately started snickering louder. Jude elbowed him again in an attempt to quiet him down and glanced over to see him biting his lip to contain his laughter. She couldn't help but smile too, before turning back towards the kids and moving on.

"Okay…so for those of you who haven't written a song, why did you want to take this program?"

A few hands shot up in the air again and Jude pointed to a red-headed girl.

"Because you're both teaching it," the girl answered proudly, looking between the two of them.

Tommy looked at the girl curiously. "Thanks, umm…"

"Mandy," the girl responded.

"Mandy, thanks. But do you have any interest in writing songs?" he asked her, trying to be as polite as possible.

"I guess so," the girl answered hesitantly. "But my sister told me that if I didn't take this program and meet you both, she'd sell all my stuff on ebay while I'm gone."

Without missing a beat, both Tommy and Jude burst out into laughter, unable to contain it any longer. The kids just looked at them like they were nuts, confused as to why their stories would elicit such hysterics.

Calming down, Jude looked at the kids' confused faces and said, "Sorry…ummm, look, as flattering as that is, and as much as we appreciate your sister's interest in having you here, we're hoping that all of you have a genuine interest in songwriting."

"Right," Tommy agreed. "This program is all about us helping you discover how great songwriting can be. It's a way to be creative and express yourself. But if you're not serious about it or want to learn about it, then this may not be the right course for you."

"We want to get to know all of you just like you want to get to know us," Jude added, "but if songwriting isn't your thing, then that's okay and we can just get to know you at another time."

Quiet fell over the group as the kids all exchanged thoughtful expressions.

"Now before we continue, does anyone want to change their program selection?" Jude asked, scanning over the kids' faces.

Everyone obediently shook their heads, indicating a desire to stay and learn. Jude and Tommy both glanced over at Mandy, who was also shaking her head.

"Good," Jude replied in a more upbeat tone. "Okay, so we're really excited for this program and hopefully, after the next four weeks, all of you will become accomplished, excellent songwriters capable of winning awards."

Tommy smirked a little, adding, "Or…you'll at least be able to put together a couple of really good songs."

"Right," Jude replied with gentle laugh, realizing that they were only nine.

"Excuse me! I have a question!" one of the girls called out, raising her hand.

"Yes?" Jude asked.

"Why is it that there are two of you teaching this course? All of the other courses have just one teacher."

Jude looked at Tommy hesitantly, not sure as to how to answer the question. But Tommy thought quickly and spoke up.

"Well, songwriting is a really important subject. And sometimes it helps to have more than one person involved in the process. So two heads can be better than one."

"But why you two?" the girl asked again. "I mean, I know you're both musicians, but why are you two teaching this program together?"

"Well…Tommy and I have written a lot of songs together," Jude attempted to explain, glancing over at Tommy to see him anxiously hanging on her every word. "We've worked on a few albums together and well…we…ummm…"

"We make a good team," Tommy finished, grinning lightly at her.

She nodded, her eyes still on his. "Right. We make a really good team. The best, in fact."

They smiled wordlessly at each other before turning back towards the group.

"Any other questions before we start?" Jude asked.

The kids all shook their heads in response. "Great. So let's get to work."

- - -

As the kids all filed out of the room, Jude walked over to the stack of notebooks on the foot of the stage. She placed a few extras on top of the pile and leaned her back against the stage, closing her eyes and sighing deeply.

"That's only been half the classes, Jude," Tommy remarked, looking at her exhausted expression, while walking around the room, scooping up pens and pencils that were lying on the ground. "We still have two more today."

"I know," she replied with an air of distress, opening her eyes and staring lifelessly around the room. "This teaching thing is hard."

He smirked, walking towards her with the cup full of pens and pencils. "Well it probably didn't help that our first class started at 9:00. You usually don't even show up at the studio until at least 10:30."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, hitting him lightly on the arm as he approached the stage. "I'm there at 9:00. Just like I'm supposed to."

"Right," he said dubiously. "Jude, I worked with you for three years. And, I picked you up and drove you to work in the morning for at least two of those years. Never once were you actually on time."

"That is simply not true," she claimed, watching as he neatly aligned the rest of their supplies. "I just knew how quickly you drive and I figured you'd get us there on time regardless of when I woke up."

"Yeah, well, even I'm not _that_ fast," he countered.

"Tommy, I've been in the car with you at least three times when we got pulled over for speeding," she reminded him.

"Okay, okay," he conceded. "Well, let's just compromise then and say that mornings were never your thing."

"Point taken," she concurred, with a quick nod of agreement. "And remember, we're both operating caffeine-free today."

"True," he agreed. "Maybe they'll have some soda or something at lunch."

"Maybe," she said hopefully, feeling her stomach start to churn at the sound of lunch. "I'm actually starving."

"Yeah, me too. Lunch is in ten minutes though and I hear it's grilled cheese," he said.

"Grilled cheese? Yes!" she exclaimed with a wide smile. "That is the best news I think I've gotten all day."

He laughed lightly at her and reached into his pocket to pull out his schedule for the week. "What period are you off today?"

She pulled her pink schedule out of her pocket, looking it over. "Umm…sixth. You?"

"Same," he said. "Are you doing anything?"

She shrugged, putting her schedule away. "I hadn't really thought about it. Maybe I'll work on my tan. I think I must be the palest person here."

He smirked and shoved his schedule back in his pocket. "Well…I was thinking…" he started hesitantly, "not that tanning isn't important or anything, but maybe you'd want to get together instead?"

Her brows rose at his question, not expecting his offer. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, to work on the program," he said quickly. "You know, to figure out what we're going to do tomorrow at least."

She considered his offer for a moment. Although there was a voice inside her head warning not to spend too much one-on-one time alone with Tommy, there was another voice that was excited at the idea of hanging out with him again, even if it was just for work. She had to admit, she had a good time teaching the program with him that morning, and besides, when else would they talk about the next day's work?

She looked up at him with a wide grin. "Sure, that sounds like a great idea. I can just save tanning for another day."

"Great," he replied with a smile. "Or maybe we can work outside. That way, you can do both."

Her eyes lit up at his suggestion. "Yeah, that could be nice. The fresh air is good for my creativity anyway."

He nodded in agreement, the smile still on his face. "Lunch?"

She nodded energetically. "Lunch."

Quietly, they walked out of the room together. She smiled to herself, having nearly forgotten the fact that they hadn't even been speaking to each other 48 hours earlier.


	10. Chapter 10

Hi again! I'm trying to update more frequently, so hopefully all of you will like everything that's happening! Thanks for all of your great reviews and feedback! I really appreciate everything you have to say! And I'd love to read more, so let me know what you think! Without further ado, here's chapter 10...enjoy!

* * *

As she inhaled her grilled cheese sandwich, Jude looked around the table at the eager campers eating like they hadn't been fed in weeks. Some of them had wet hair, having clearly come from instructional swim, while others held papers and cards from their music programs. 

Finally feeling her hunger subside, she relaxed in her chair and felt someone standing over her.

"Good morning," Jamie said with a smile.

"Actually, it's afternoon," she replied with a knowing grin.

"Yes, but since I didn't see you all morning, this is both good morning and good afternoon," he stated, sitting down in the same spot on the edge of the bench where Tommy had been that morning. "How was your morning?"

"Good, thanks," she replied, taking a sip of the red juice in her cup. "But I'm totally exhausted. I never realized teaching was such hard work."

"Tell me about it," Jamie agreed. "My first class was the oldest kids – the fourteen year olds. The only questions they asked involved either how much money you make as an artist or where little Tommy Q was."

Jude couldn't help but laugh lightly in response.

"How's everything else going?" she asked, her tone becoming more serious. "You know…with the bunk and staying there…"

"It's alright. I'm getting by," he answered sketchily before looking behind him at the ten sets of curious eyes around the table. "Ummm…can I help you?"

"Jamie, this is my bunk. Girls, this is Jamie," Jude said. "And that's Amy down there, our primary counselor."

Amy gave a quick wave from the other side of the table, while the girls continued to sit and stare at him.

"And…how do you know each other?" Jessica asked from the corner of the table.

"Nosy!" Lauren whispered from next to her.

"Well," Jude started, "Jamie works with me at G-Major. Is anyone taking the program on how to get signed to a record label?" she asked, peering around the table. One or two people nodded their heads. "Well, Jamie is teaching that course."

"Jude…we don't just _work_ together," Jamie reminded her quietly, with raised eyebrows.

"Right," Jude said quickly, feeling herself flush at her own failure to mention their relationship status. "Jamie is also…my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" she heard from around the table.

"_He's_ your boyfriend?" Karly asked loudly, dropping her grilled cheese on her plate.

Jude nodded. "Yes."

"But…what about Tommy?" Karly questioned with wide eyes.

Jude's eyes immediately widened, stunned and flustered by the question.

"Tommy and I…we're not…."

She could feel the intensity of Jamie's gaze on her as she attempted to answer the question, trying to conceal the panic that was taking over her whole system.

"We're…just friends. And co-workers. That's it. Jamie…he's my boyfriend."

"Okay…" Karly started, clearly still considering this turn of events.

Silence fell over the group as the awkwardness of the situation overwhelmed both Jude and Jamie. As she started to think of questions to ask Jamie to steer him off topic, she saw him turn around again to face the campers.

"Why would you think Jude and Tommy are dating?" Jamie asked loudly, with a curious expression. Jude felt her heartbeat quicken at the sound of his question, praying quietly that they wouldn't say anything that might make the situation worse.

"Well…it's just that they seemed to…I don't know…_go_ together," Karly answered.

Without missing a beat, Jude let out a nervous laugh which made all eyes dart to her.

"Sorry…it's just…ummm….well, we only really _go together_ when it comes to music. If you knew us, you'd know that we're umm…not quite that in synch elsewhere."

"Really?" Karly questioned, reflecting all of their disbelief.

"Of course," Jude answered, feeling her composure slowly return. "You probably thought we got along so well because we were talking about the songwriting program. That's our thing. But beyond that…well, you know…it's me and Jamie…"

"How long have you two been dating then?" Jessica asked from the other side of the table.

"Jessica," Amy said, interrupting, "I think we need to let Jude have her own personal life. Would you like it if someone asked you twenty questions about your love life?"

Jessica smirked at her question. "If I had one, I'd be happy to talk about it."

The rest of the girls giggled hearing her response, but Amy sent her an irritated glare.

"Okay, okay," Jessica resigned, seeing Amy's expression and turning back towards Jude. "Sorry. No more questions."

"That's alright," Jude replied, offering a look of thanks towards Amy. "We've been together for a few months now."

Gaining a nod of approval from Jessica, Jude redirected her attention towards Jamie, watching him turn around again to face her. "Anyway…so how many programs are you teaching today?"

"Three," he answered. "And then I have swim, soccer, and a free period."

"That's cool. It's a little of everything," she remarked, watching as the campers turned their attention back to their grilled cheese sandwiches.

"What about you? What period are you off?" he asked her.

"Sixth," she replied, taking another sip of the juice.

"Me too," he said, his eyes lighting up. "Do you want to hang out? I could really use some time away from the kids…"

Glancing up over the cup, Jude bit her lip, unsure as to the best way to respond to his question so that he wouldn't be upset.

"I…umm…actually, kind of have plans."

"Plans? With who?"

"Ummm…well, Tommy and I decided that we need to work on some of our songwriting programs. And we both have sixth period off today, so…"

"So you figured it would make more sense to spend the time with him than with your boyfriend?" Jamie finished for her.

"No, no…it wasn't like that," she started, automatically feeling herself grow defensive. "Jamie, I didn't even know you had that same period free today."

"And you didn't think to ask me?" he countered, cocking his head at her.

"I just thought…look, the sooner Tommy and I figure out the programs for the week, the more time I'll have to spend with you," she offered, hoping her plea would suffice.

He sighed and stood up from the bench. "Whatever you say, Jude."

"You're not mad, are you?" she asked, standing up too. "I didn't plan this on purpose or anything."

"It's fine. Go do your program thing with Mr. Wonderful and I'll just see you later," he stated curtly before turning and walking back towards his table.

"Jamie!" she called after him, watching him ignore her.

"Jude – please sit back down at your table," she heard from across the aisle, looking over to see Josh, the camp director, standing there.

"I was just—I only wanted to—" she started, growing infuriated at his interference.

"It doesn't matter. Meals are a time of bonding with the campers," he said quietly, approaching her. "Not with male members of the staff."

"What? He's my boyfriend!" she exclaimed before she could control the words.

"Well then, he should understand that all conversations must wait until later. Agreed?" Josh asked, the stern look in his eye only heightening Jude's own frustration.

"Fine," she mumbled, before angrily taking her seat back at her own table.

As she sat there staring at her bare plate, she felt her frustration with the situation steadily increase. Once again, she found herself stuck in between Tommy and Jamie. They couldn't hear about each other, let alone be in the same room together. Yet, both were becoming important to her once again. Why couldn't they just get along and make her life easier?

Sighing, she looked up at the curious but quiet faces around her. She managed to smile weakly at them, resting her head in her hands.

"Guys suck, don't they?" Lauren asked from across the table.

Knowing that the question was directed towards her and the exasperated expression on her face, Jude gave a quick nod and a faint grin.

"And they sure don't get any better as they get older."


	11. Chapter 11

Hi guys! Thanks again for all of your reviews!! They make me happy and I love reading them, so please continue to let me know what you think! The story continues later in the same day, after lunch and their first songwriting program. Enjoy!

* * *

"So every time inspiration hits, you'll want to write it down in these notebooks," Jude explained as Tommy handed out the rest of the notebooks to the campers seated on the floor. 

"It doesn't matter where you are or what you're doing," Tommy added, giving the last of his notebooks to a fourteen year old boy in the front row. "Inspiration can hit at any time, so make sure you have it with you wherever you are."

"Except during swimming," Jude caveated with a grin. "The notebooks don't do well in water."

"Right," Tommy replied, stepping back towards the front where she was standing.

"So I think that's it for today. Unless anyone has any questions?" Jude posed to the group.

A thirteen year-old girl in the back raised her hand. "Hi, umm…I'm Lindsey and I'm a big fan of yours, Jude."

"Thanks," Jude replied with a grin.

"My question is about this whole inspiration thing…you were saying before about how sometimes you take situations in your life that make you frustrated or confused or upset. But what happens if you're happy? I mean, do you ever write a song just about being happy?"

Jude smirked quietly, then replied, "Sometimes. If I'm content with everything in my life, then sure, the song I'm working on will reflect that. Like…_My Sweet Time_. That song was about the thrill of being on tour and how much I loved it."

"Or _I'm in Love with My Guitar_," Tommy posed, eliciting a skeptical glance from Jude and a couple of sniggers from the group. "Okay, so maybe that song wasn't exactly our best…but it's a happy one at least."

Jude nodded. "True. Anyway, the point is that you can write songs about anything – happy or sad."

"A lot of songs tend to be about something challenging because those situations bring out strong emotions that can inspire songwriters," Tommy stated. "But the songs you write should be personal to each of you. So if you're not going through something upsetting or difficult in your life, then by all means, write about how happy you feel."

Tommy gazed out towards Lindsey to get her nod of approval. "So, if that's it, I think we're done for today and you guys can take off to next period."

"Don't forget to bring your notebooks around with you!" Jude called as they all stood up to leave.

Watching them start to trickle out, Jude saw Jessica and Karly approach her at the front of the stage.

"That was great," they both said enthusiastically.

"Good! I'm glad you liked it," Jude replied.

"You two put together a great program," Jessica said, looking between Jude and Tommy, who was standing next to them.

"It really was the best!" Karly added. "Much better than Karma's performance program."

"Really?" Jude questioned. "Why?"

"All she did was sing and dance for us today," Karly explained.

"Yeah. She performed at least five songs off her album and that was our program for the day," Jessica added with an eye roll.

Both Tommy and Jude sniggered, hearing their description. "Yeah, well…that's Karma for you," Jude remarked with a shrug.

"But seriously, this one was our favorite," Jessica confirmed.

"Although SME was funny throwing those tambourines around," Karly offered.

"True…but I actually feel like I learned something here," Jessica countered.

"That's great. Thanks," Jude said with a smile. "Where are you off to now?"

"Free swim," Karly said. "Are you coming?"

"I don't think so," Jude replied. "I'm actually off this period."

"Oh, nice," Jessica said, glimpsing over at Karly before asking, "Are you meeting up with your boyfriend?"

"Uhhh, no…" Jude answered hesitantly, giving another quick glance over to Tommy who was now busying himself with the pens on the foot of the stage. "Tommy and I are actually going to work on tomorrow's program so it can be just as good as today's."

"Oh," Jessica responded, sounding a bit surprised. "But won't your boyfriend be upset?"

Jude felt her cheeks immediately flush, knowing that Tommy's eyes had now drifted over towards her again.

"Uhhh…no. Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Well, he just sounded kind of upset about it at lunch today…" Jessica remarked with a devious grin.

Jude caught sight of her sneaky expression and Karly's equally suspicious smile. She gazed at them both carefully, trying to figure out exactly what kind of game they were playing.

"No…it wasn't a problem…he's fine," Jude quickly explained, knowing that Tommy's eyes were now boring into her side. Clearing her throat, she added casually, "You know what? I think you two should probably get going. I don't want you to be late to free swim."

"Okay," they agreed with a shrug. "We'll see you later?"

"Definitely," Jude confirmed with a grin, watching them walk across the room whispering to each other. Hearing the door finally close behind them, she exhaled deeply in relief.

She turned back towards the stage, silently reaching for her own journal that was lying in front of her, hoping that Tommy wouldn't press her on anything the girls had just mentioned. She bit her lip, not knowing what to say.

"Should we go?" she asked, looking at him. "You know, find somewhere to sit outside?"

He nodded wordlessly, scooping up the rest of his belongings and following her out the door.

"So…" Tommy started, walking alongside her on the grass, "care to elaborate on that little discussion?"

Finding a nice spot near a large pine tree, Jude sat down in the sunshine and looked up at him, seeing his serious expression. "It's not a big deal."

"Okay…" he replied tentatively, sitting down across from her. "If you want to go hang out with him, it's cool."

"No, it's fine," she said promptly. "I didn't even know he and I had the same free period until after you and I had talked about working on the program."

"So then, why is he upset?" Tommy posed curiously.

Jude sighed and replied, "He's not really _upset_. He just wanted to hang out and was…disappointed…that I wasn't free."

He eyed her closely and watched her fidget with the edge of her journal. He scratched his head, mulling over his next move.

"You do realize," he began cautiously, "he's never going to be okay with this."

"With me being busy?"

"Well…with you being busy…when I'm involved," he explained, awkwardly glancing at her to read her reaction.

She thought for a moment and then decisively stated, "Well, he has to get over it. I mean, we work together now, so he has to be okay with us…spending some amount of time together."

Tommy cocked his head slightly at her, indicating his doubt in her words. She met his gaze but shrugged it off.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it. I'll figure it all out. Let's just get back to work and forget about it. Okay?"

He nodded and shifted on the grass to get more comfortable. "Okay."

She smiled and resituated herself too, pulling the list out of her pocket that he had given her earlier that day.

"So…tomorrow…maybe we can have them actually start to write something," she proposed.

"That's good," he replied. "You know, since this is a songwriting program…"

"Oh right," she said sarcastically. "I thought we were just going to sit around for the next few weeks talking about inspiration for all of my songs."

"That might get old," he said thoughtfully. "After all, how many sessions can we talk about me?"

She immediately turned bright red at his response but glanced up to see a cocky grin appear on his face.

Attempting to deflate his ego just a little, she punched him in the arm and said, "You wish, Quincy."

- - -

Opening the screen door to the bunk, Jude peered down the aisle to see the girls huddled in the back near the bathroom. She walked closer and saw that they were all getting ready for dinner.

Scanning the group, she eyed her two targets, who were both fixing their hair.

She cleared her throat and said, "Miss Jessica and Miss Karly, may I have a word?"

Jessica and Karly immediately exchanged worried glances before stepping outside the bathroom. All other eyes in bathroom followed them as they walked up the aisle and into the staff's section at the front.

Jude was sitting on her bed as they approached. She looked up at them and pointed to her bed.

"Sit."

Obediently, they sat down on the edge of her bed, looking as though they were about to be in big trouble.

"So…which one of you wants to share your little scheme with me?" Jude asked, glancing between them.

Jessica and Karly looked at each other before Jessica asked innocently, "Scheme?"

"Yes…whatever it was that you both were trying to accomplish today at the end of the songwriting program. Remember? Talking about what you had overheard at lunch with my boyfriend?"

"Ohhh…well…" Jessica started, clearly thinking hard to select the right words, "I guess, we just thought…ummm…"

Jude sat there patiently, waiting for an explanation.

Karly jumped in, "We didn't mean anything bad by it, I swear."

"Right," Jessica added, their tone sounding more pleading. "We just thought…I don't know…we like Tommy. And we like him…with you. And…well…"

"And you thought that you could help make that happen?" Jude offered, as they both silently nodded, looking guilty.

Jude sighed. "Listen, I appreciate you wanting me to be happy, but interfering in my relationship with either Tommy or Jamie isn't right."

"We know that…but you would just be so cute with Tommy!" Jessica exclaimed.

Jude couldn't help but blush a little at her comment. She attempted to hide her reaction by gazing down at her lap for a moment before saying, "Honestly, Tommy and I have already tried that…and it didn't work."

"Really?" they both asked in shock.

She looked up at them and nodded. "Yes. It was a little while ago and well, things got complicated and we just…weren't right together."

Both of the girls were silent, appearing contemplative, as she continued.

"I know you both had good intentions, but I promise, this isn't something worth your time. Tommy and I are friends. And…that's pretty much all we'll ever be."

The girls looked disappointed by her words, their expressions almost changing to sadness.

"I'm sorry," Jude offered, seeing their reactions. "But I think this is a hopeless cause."

Accepting defeat, Jessica said, "Sorry about this…we didn't realize…"

"It's okay," Jude replied with a grin. "But next time, you might want to do a background check before meddling. Agreed?"

They both nodded. "Agreed."

As she watched them retreat to their section of the bunk, Jude let out a small smile that was hiding within. She didn't know whether the smile was a result of their absurd plan or what they had said about her with Tommy. Or maybe it was just this whole camp thing that was really agreeing with her. Or maybe it was the remembrance that they were having hamburgers for dinner.


	12. Chapter 12

Hi! Thanks again to everyone for reviewing! I love reading what you have to say and I appreciate any feedback you might have. :) Here's the next chapter. It takes place later that night...the drama really begins at the end of this chapter, so I hope you like it. Enjoy!

* * *

After dinner and an evening activity, Jude and Amy walked the kids back up to their bunk to get ready for bed. 

"What happens now?" Jude asked Amy, watching as she put on a new coat of lip gloss.

"Well, the kids all go to sleep," Amy explained. "And we hang out with the other staff."

"Really? We don't have to go to bed now too?"

Amy laughed lightly. "Jude, it's 9:00. Our curfew is midnight. The kids stay in the bunk and we go be social butterflies."

Jude smiled, her eyes lighting up at the thought of spending a few hours with her friends. "That sounds perfect right now."

"Let's go say goodnight so we can go," Amy suggested, putting on a jacket. Jude nodded and grabbed a sweater before following Amy to the other side of the bunk to say goodnight to the kids.

---

Walking with Amy along the dirt road, Jude felt a slight shiver at the cool night air. The stars lit up their path and the sound of campers in their bunks began to fade into the distance. Near the entrance to the camp, Amy brought Jude down a hill at the side of one of the buildings. As she walked down the slope, Jude saw all of the people surrounding the area below.

"This is where the staff hangs out," Amy said, as they reached the bottom. "The official staff lounge is in there," she continued, pointing to a door to the bottom floor of the building. "But we basically take over this whole area."

"I never would've guessed this is even here," Jude said dazedly, following Amy inside.

"Yeah, they keep the door locked from upstairs so none of the campers know about it. You can only get in from down the hill."

Jude gazed around the inside room, filled with couches, soda machines, food, and a TV. She couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of home.

"Jude!" she heard from behind her.

She turned around to see Karma walking towards her.

"Hi," Jude said, genuinely happy to see her. "Karma, this is Amy, the primary counselor in my bunk."

"Hi Amy," Karma said with a smile. She then turned back towards Jude with a stern expression. "So, look at my hair. Do you notice anything different?"

Jude gazed at her closely, seeing the same long dark locks that had always been there.

"Not really…should I?"

Karma rolled her eyes and pointed to a strand of hair towards the front that was significantly shorter than the rest.

"See this?" Karma asked, holding the shorter piece of hair. "_This_ is the result of nine year olds and gum."

"Gum?" Jude repeated.

"Yes, gum. Turns out, nine year-olds are willing to put it anywhere…even in my hair!" Karma exclaimed. "I had to cut it out!"

Jude bit her lip to hold in her laughter, glancing over at Amy to see her doing the same.

"Wow, Karma…that's really…"

"And you know what else they did?" Karma continued, putting her hands on her hips. "One girl actually threw up in my shoe. My leopard sandal!"

"She threw up in your sandal?" Amy repeated.

"Yes! Apparently the meat loaf last night didn't agree with her. But did she bother going to the infirmary? No. She decided to stay in the bunk with a stomach ache and ended up throwing up all over my $300 pair of shoes."

Karma watched as Jude and Amy quietly sniggered from her story. "It's not funny!"

"Well…it kind of is…" Jude replied, letting the laugh out.

"Jude!" she heard again, this time coming from the couch behind them. She turned around to see Sadie and Kwest sitting comfortably on the couch together. Sadie was waving at her, beckoning her to come over.

She politely excused herself, leaving an angry Karma to rant to Amy, and approached Sadie and Kwest.

"Hi!" she exclaimed, leaning down to give her sister a hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"I know!" Sadie agreed as Jude took a seat on the edge of the opposite chair. "How's everything going?"

Jude sighed dramatically. "It's okay…I like being here, but it's been kind of stressful with the programming, the kids, the wake-up time…it's just an adjustment, I guess. How about you?"

"Well," Sadie started, "Darius is having me run the office with no staff, no working computer, and one coffee maker that only makes tea."

Jude made an appalled face, saying, "Oooo, that is bad."

"Yeah, it hasn't been exactly fun," Sadie replied with a quick eye roll.

Jude turned towards Kwest, asking, "And what about you? How did your program go today?"

Kwest nodded lightly. "Not bad. It was pretty easy today - I just stuck to production basics and what exactly producers do."

"That's good," Jude replied.

"Yeah, let's hope it stays that way," he said, turning towards Sadie. "I almost forgot - Wally asked me to help him fix a banjo he broke today. Mind if I go take care of it?"

"He broke a banjo?" Jude asked with a laugh.

Kwest shrugged in response, to which Sadie gave him a quick kiss and said, "I'll catch up with you later."

"See you around, Jude," he said as he stood up and went outside to find Wally.

As he left, Sadie turned back towards Jude.

"So…tell me about the program. How was it working with Tommy again?"

Jude bit her lip to hide the grin that struggled to emerge. "It was…good."

Sadie eyed her questioningly. "Just good?"

Relaxing and letting the grin surface, Jude admitted the truth. "Okay, it was really good - like old times. It was nice just hanging out with him again."

"That's great," Sadie replied enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it was nice," Jude disclosed fondly. "Kind of like finding an old friend again."

Sadie smirked at her statement. "I'm sorry, did you say _friend_?"

"Yes…we're friends…aren't we?" Jude asked, almost questioning herself.

"I don't know. Are you?" Sadie replied with raised brows. "Could it be that you and Tommy are actually at peace for once? That you're actually both 100 percent okay with just being friends?"

Jude took a moment to consider the question, mulling over the implication of her answer. But pushing her reservations aside, she nodded and said, "I guess so."

"Well, it's about time," Sadie replied.

Just as she was about to respond, Jude turned towards the corner of the room, where a familiar voice sounded. As she turned, her eyes locked with Jamie's across the room. She quickly turned back towards Sadie and smiled apologetically.

Sadie understood her expression and rolled her eyes. "Go."

"Thanks," Jude said with a smile. "We'll talk more tomorrow. I promise!"

At that, she gave her sister a quick hug and advanced towards Jamie.

"Hi," she said as she reached him, eyeing him closely to read if he was still upset about their disagreement during lunch.

"Hi," he replied indifferently.

"How was the rest of your day?" she asked.

"It was alright, I guess," he responded flatly. "And how was yours? Did you and Tommy Q have a nice free period together?"

Jude exhaled deeply, trying to remain calm and composed. "Jamie, we just worked. That's it. And to be honest, whenever we veered off-topic, I talked about you."

"You did?" Jamie questioned.

"Yeah," she replied, biting her lip. She did talk about him, just not in the way he would want. "Look, Tommy made it clear that he doesn't want to get in the middle of anything with us. He wants us to be happy but he can't help the fact that we work together."

Jamie eyed her suspiciously. "Did he really say that?"

"Basically, yeah," she replied confidently. "I mean, it wasn't word for word, but that was the gist of it."

His eyes fell towards the floor. "I just…can't help but not like the idea of you two spending all of this time together again."

"Don't you trust me?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Of course I do," he replied, grabbing her hands and looking into her eyes. "But it's just…an awkward situation, you know?"

"Totally," she agreed. "But it doesn't need to be. He's cool with you and I being together, but I need you to be okay with he and I working together."

He shrugged. "I don't know…I guess…"

"Good," she said decisively. "Because I want this summer to be great. And you're a big part of that. I can't be happy knowing that you're not."

He nodded. "Okay. I'll try to chill out a little. But it would've been nice to see you today during your free period."

"I know," she said. "I'll make sure to check with you next time before I commit to anything. Okay?"

"Okay," he said with a grin, finally looking content with the situation. She smiled in response and leaned in to give him a hug.

"Want to come outside? There's a really nice porch," Jamie offered, to which she nodded. She took his hand and followed him through the doorway and onto a large wooden porch, packed with chairs and people.

Jamie made his way towards a few open chairs. He took a seat with Jude beside him, who was scanning the space.

"It's great out here," she remarked, watching the fireflies off in the distance. Focusing her attention back on Jamie, she said, "So, I want to hear about everything. Your bunk, your primary counselor, your program today…all of it."

"Really?" he asked uncertainly. "Are you sure?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "Start from the top."

"Well…last night was kind of a blur. I have a bunk full of eleven year-old boys, who are ten times worse than Freddy Krueger…" Jamie started, describing his adventures trying to get his bunk to sleep.

As he told her all of the details, Jude's mind began to wander. She found herself thinking of program topics for the next day and what exactly she wanted to wear. Blue shorts and her yellow t-shirt? No, too casual. Maybe the green cargo pants she had stolen from Sadie? Tommy always liked green…he had once confessed that it was his favorite color M&M. He had also said that he wasn't sure why they continued to make the putrid brown color, to which Jude had feigned offense and told him that the brown M&M's were just as tasty as green ones. They had both laughed, realizing the ridiculousness of their conversation…

"And then Mike, the primary counselor said to them, 'If you guys want to paint something, stay away from my t-shirt collection…"

_Those were the days_, Jude thought to herself. Things were so simple and uncomplicated. Tommy was just Tommy and Jamie was just Jamie. And she was allowed to be close to both of them. Since when did everything become so complicated?

"…so I took them outside and yelled at them. 'You guys cannot use toothpaste for anything other than brushing your teeth…'"

Glancing upwards, Jude saw a shadow emerge in the doorway and watched as Tommy slowly appeared from inside. His eyes met hers as he stepped outside and paused from walking any further. She offered him a small smile, to which his lips turned upwards into his own grin.

Just as Jude was about to beckon to a few open chairs nearby, she watched as another shadow appeared from behind Tommy. Her eyes briefly drifted over the figure, seeing a short jean skirt and a white halter top. Tommy absentmindedly linked his fingers in with the girl's and began moving across the porch. The girl walked closely behind him, her long brown hair bouncing with each step. Jude watched as they settled in two chairs on the opposite side of the porch, huddled close together in conversation.

Attempting to refocus her attention once more on Jamie, she held a plastered smile on her face, all the while feeling an unexpected knot form in her stomach.


	13. Chapter 13

Hi guys! Well, I have some good news and some bad news to share...  
The good news is that I'm posting a new chapter now. Yay! It's on the longer side and there's one part in this chapter that I had envisioned from the very beginning, so I think you might like it. :)

The bad news is that I'm going away for the weekend and won't be back until Monday, so no more updates until then. I'm hoping to be able to post the next chapter at some point on Monday though (thank you Christopher Columbus for my day off!), so it shouldn't be too long of a wait!

Thanks so much to everyone for reading and posting reviews! You guys all seriously keep me inspired on this story and your comments are love! So I hope you all have a nice weekend and without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

Pausing for a moment outside the rec hall, Jude took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She hadn't slept very well the night before. For some reason, seeing Tommy with that girl had really startled her, and not in a good way. She felt sad, almost like she had lost the friend she thought she had regained. 

But standing outside the building, she reminded herself not to jump to conclusions or be bothered by the fact that he had a new friend. A new female friend. A new female friend who looked like a supermodel. So what? They were friends and it shouldn't matter to her who he decided to spend his time with.

Right? Right.

With a confident stride, Jude walked into the building, ready for another day of songwriting. She saw that the room was still empty and awaiting the kids' arrival after breakfast. But Tommy was standing at the front, near the stage, writing something down on a pad of paper.

As she approached, he turned around and revealed a baseball cap, covering his usual coiffed hair.

"Morning," he said quietly.

"Morning," she replied, walking to the spot beside him and putting her bag on the stage. She briefly scanned his appearance, noting his visible shades of exhaustion.

Before she could stop herself, the words came flying out of her mouth.

"Long night?"

He turned towards her with a questioning glance. "Why do you ask?"

She attempted to shrug it off, shaking her head. "It's just the hat…I think I've seen you wear a hat about once in the last three years, Quincy."

"Yeah, well…I'm not having a good hair day today," he mumbled, continuing to write something down.

Again, she opened her mouth and failed to filter any of her inner thoughts, saying, "Well, not just the hat…you look tired. Like you've been up for days."

He furrowed his brow and eyed her again with a more annoyed expression. "Gee, thanks. You're full of compliments today."

"I'm just saying," she started with a defensive edge, turning towards the stage, "you look tired. That's all."

"Well, that's because I _am_ tired," he replied. "And the fact that there's no coffee fit for human consumption isn't exactly helping."

She smirked in agreement. "I hear that."

An awkward silence set over them, as she bit her lip, questioning whether to continue her interrogation. Deciding she had nothing to lose, she blurted out,

"So…did you have a good night?"

He immediately put down his pen and eyed her suspiciously.

"Why are you so interested in my night?"

Her brows raised at his insinuation and she quickly replied,

"Why are you in such a mood?"

"I'm tired," he replied.

"Well, I'm curious," she answered flatly.

He nodded in acceptance of her response. "Well then, it was fine. Thanks for your…curiosity."

At that, he turned back towards his pad of paper and she instantly recognized his disinterest in discussing his night any further. As much as she wanted to pry and ask about who the mystery girl was and why he hadn't slept, she pursed her lips together in effort to not ask any more questions.

Turning back towards the stage to grab her journal, she heard the door open and the kids all enter. They both faced outward, watching as the kids ran in to take their seats on the floor, and without another word, started their first class of the day.

- - -

Walking down towards the pool next to Amy, Jude contemplated asking her the question that had been on her mind all day.

"So…do you know all of the primary counselors?" Jude posed tentatively.

"Most of them," Amy answered, watching as the kids ran in front of them, opening the gated door to the pool area. "Why?"

"It's just…there's this girl…and I don't know who she is," Jude started, trying to remain vague.

"Do you know what bunk she's in?" Amy asked, following the kids into the pool area.

"No," Jude replied thoughtfully. "But if I see her, I'll let you know."

"Okay," Amy agreed, laying her towel down on the ground. They watched as a huge group of kids jumped into the pool excitedly, splashing each other and shouting loudly.

"Why are there so many people here?" Jude asked, looking around at the mix of boys and girls in the pool.

"They try to pack as many people into the pool when it gets really hot out," Amy answered, removing her t-shirt to reveal a blue one-piece bathing suit beneath. "I think it's all of the twelve, thirteen and fourteen year-olds today."

Jude nodded, sitting down on her towel that was spread out on the grass.

Amy looked down at her. "Are you coming in?"

Jude shrugged, gazing at the journal in her hand. "Maybe in a few minutes. I might write a little."

Amy nodded. "Okay, have fun!"

"Thanks," Jude replied, lying back on the towel. She held the closed journal against her bent legs and took in the sounds around her…the kids yelling, water splashing, and plunging of the divers into the pool. It was all very soothing and calming, until she felt freezing cold water trickle all over her face.

"What the—" she sat up quickly, looking up at three of her wet campers standing before her with grins.

"Why don't you come in the water, Jude?" Lauren asked. "It's really nice."

"Maybe in a little bit," Jude replied hesitantly.

"Oh, come on…at least put your feet in," Jessica said, grabbing Jude's hand and pulling her up to a standing position.

"Okay, okay," Jude resigned, dropping her journal onto the towel and taking her shirt off to reveal a black suit with white piping around the edges.

"Cute bathing suit!" Jessica exclaimed, dragging her towards the pool, where Jude took a seat along the edge while the girls swam in front of her.

"Don't get me wet!" Jude exclaimed as she dipped her feet into the water, eyeing Lauren who looked like she was about to splash.

Lauren's eyes suddenly shifted to behind Jude, eyeing something of interest. "Hey…is that Tommy?"

Jude automatically turned behind her, seeing none other than Tommy swarmed by a group of campers. She watched closely as he removed his shirt to get ready to go in the water. She couldn't help but stare, her mouth gaping slightly, as he walked with the kids towards the water, his toned body reflecting in the sunlight.

As he dove in, Jude turned back towards the girls before her, all silently watching the same scene she had been.

"Yep…that's Tommy," Jude said quietly, unable to get the thought of his chest out of her head.

The kids all screamed when he jumped in, all swimming towards him. His head reappeared out of the water, but kids were still around him, causing him to cease moving. His voice could vaguely be heard asking them to swim towards the more shallow area where they could all stand.

Jude's campers remained near her, but their eyes lit up as Tommy grew a little closer. They took off to swim towards him, partaking in the splashing fight he was having with some of his own campers.

Jude gazed at him, unable to tear her eyes away, watching as he laughed and shouted with the kids all around him. Not only did she feel herself flush by looking at his half-naked body, but he appeared to be so genuinely happy with the kids. It was like the campers were bringing out this new side of him she had never seen before. And she couldn't help but smile at the sight.

Playfully tossing one of his kids into the water in front of him, his eyes followed the path of the camper as they hit the water, creating a large splash. Everyone laughed, except the girl sitting along the edge of the pool who was now covered in water.

He squinted his eyes as he vaguely made out the figure with blonde hair and a black bathing suit that had screeched as the cold water had hit her.

"Jude?"

A soaked Jude ran a hand through her hair, looking down at her wet shorts. Her blue eyes radiated in the sunlight as she looked up at him with a lopsided grin.

"Thanks, Quincy!" she yelled, giving him a weak wave of recognition.

He immediately started laughing, watching her wring out her hair over the side of the pool.

"So much for not getting wet…" she mumbled to herself.

"Awwww…." Tommy cooed, swimming closer to her, "did you not want to get soaked?"

"How could you tell?" she asked sarcastically, trying to hold his gaze and not look at any unclothed part of his body below.

The kids all followed him, splashing around, as water began spraying all over Jude again. Seeing her grimace, Tommy turned around and yelled,

"Guys? Do you mind moving back a little?"

Obediently, all of the kids retreated a few feet, the water no longer hitting her.

She smiled as he turned back towards her. "Thanks."

He nodded and swam a little closer, so that he was standing right next to where her legs were dangling.

"Hey, about before…" he started, shielding the sun from his eyes and looking upwards at her.

She shook her head to dismiss his thoughts, knowing what was coming. "Don't worry about it."

"No, I shouldn't have been so short with you…I was just tired. Sorry about that," he said, sounding sincere.

She nodded. "It's okay. Besides, I was kind of pushy."

He shrugged and backed away from the wall to look at her. "It's done."

"Right," she agreed with a grin.

"So…" he started, eyeing her suspiciously, "how is it that you chose to sit on the edge of a pool without getting wet?"

She laughed lightly, still trying to focus her gaze upwards. "I'm talented, what can I say?"

His brows rose at her response and he slowly pulled his hand back in the water, looking as though he were about to create a splash. "Apparently not that talented."

Her eyes widened as she saw his gesture. "No…no, no…I thought you were being nice!"

"I was," he said with an evil grin, before quickly pushing his hand forward to cause a wave of water to skyrocket right into her. "But now I'm not."

"Quincy!" she yelled, covered in water.

He laughed loudly as she attempted to move her hair out of the way to see him.

Looking around frantically, Jude called out, "Jessica! Lauren!"

Two girls emerged from the splashing fight behind them, looking at her questioningly.

Jude quickly pointed to Tommy, "Get him!"

At her command, the girls immediately started splashing Tommy as much as they could. He attempted to shield himself but instead, quickly dove underwater to escape the rampant splashing from the campers.

Laughing at the kids, Jude barely noticed that Tommy had disappeared. But suddenly, she felt a hard tug on her ankles, sending her falling straight into the water.

All of the kids stopped what they were doing, hearing a shriek, and turned towards the side of the pool where a completely soaked Jude was emerging from under the water with a laughing Tommy at her side.

She smoothed her hair back and rubbed her eyes to look over at a hysterical Tommy curled over laughing at her.

"Not funny!" she yelled at him, acting as though she were truly angry. But a smile appeared on her face, as she splashed him as hard as she could.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, splashing her back.

She started laughing and splashed him in return, watching as he ducked and kicked water towards her. They both started laughing as all of the kids joined in, splashing each other and getting water everywhere.

Jude found herself laughing hysterically seeing all of the kids join in on the fun. She was avoiding a direct hit from Jessica when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tommy stand up straight and walk over to the side of the pool.

His gaze was fixed on something near the diving board, and wordlessly, he put his hands on the ledge and pulled himself out of the water. While many of the female campers stopped what they were doing to watch his glistening body stand and walk slowly away from the pool, Jude's eyes were set on a different destination.

Near the diving board sat two girls, both with their hair in high pony tails and wearing big sunglasses. One girl had wavy blonde hair and was wearing a plaid bikini, while the other had long brown hair and a pink bikini. Jude immediately recognized the girl in the pink bathing suit as the girl from the night before. The supermodel. The one that Tommy had stayed up late with.

And as he closed the distance between them, smiling and sitting down next to her, Jude watched the girl twirl her hair around her finger coyly, knowing that there was no way he would ever pull _her _into the water.

* * *

_A/N: I promise that you'll find out more about the mysterious girl in the next chapter. :) I hope you all liked it!_


	14. Chapter 14

Hello! I'm back and with the help of a few extra hours of free time today, I have a new chapter! I apologize in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes...I didn't have a ton of time to edit like I normally do, but I decided to post regardless. I hope you all like it regardless!

Thanks so much for all of your feedback so far...I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading everything you have to say! Please keep letting me know what you think and of course, enjoy!

* * *

Drying her hair with her towel, Jude looked over at Amy who was beside her. She could tell by Amy's intense concentration around the pool that she was counting the girls from their bunk to make sure they were all still there before leaving the area. 

"Hey, Amy?" Jude asked tentatively.

"Eight…nine…ten!" Amy finished with a sigh of relief. Turning back to her, she said, "Sorry, yeah?"

"Remember that girl I was asking about before? The one that I don't know who she is?"

"Yeah…did you find her?" Amy asked, slipping her t-shirt on over her head.

Jude nodded, biting her lip, suddenly feeling unsure of herself and whether she truly wanted to know the answer to her own question.

Amy watched her, waiting for her to continue. "Okay…so…who is it?"

With a deep breath, Jude slowly turned around to face the area near the diving board. Without a word, she pointed to the girl in the pink bikini who was now fawning all over Tommy.

When she looked back at Amy, she saw her surprised expression. "I thought you didn't like Tommy?"

"I don't," Jude responded, almost too quickly. "But I was just wondering…you know, out of curiosity…"

Amy raised her brows at her, seemingly not believing her explanation.

Trying to dissuade further conversation on the topic of Tommy, Jude asked promptly, "So, do you know who she is?"

Abandoning her suspicions, Amy gazed over towards the board once again and nodded. "Yeah, I know her. In fact, most people do. She's pretty well known around here actually."

"Really? Why?" Jude asked, intrigued by the answer.

"Well," Amy started slowly, "you know Josh, the camp's co-director? She's his younger sister."

Jude's brows rose at her statement. "Really?"

"Yeah," Amy answered, picking up her towel. "Nicole Rider...you haven't heard of her?"

Jude shook her head, to which Amy shrugged and said, "Oh, well, I guess you will."

Jude gazed back over near the diving board, watching as Nicole gently put her hand on Tommy's arm, laughing at something he had said.

She instinctively rolled her eyes and turned away, looking back towards Amy.

"Is she…nice?" Jude asked hesitantly.

Amy scoffed at her question. "Depends on how you define nice."

"Well…what do you think about her?" Jude asked, picking up her stuff and following Amy out of the pool area.

"I don't know," Amy replied vaguely. "I've only really had one interaction with her."

"What happened?" Jude asked.

"It was during training, the day before you guys all arrived," Amy started, thinking to herself as they walked back to the bunk with the kids racing ahead of them. "We were in the same group for some bonding exercise and she refused to participate. She said she had already bonded with the people she wanted to."

Jude smirked, hearing the story. "Yeah, well, clearly there was room for her to bond with one more."

"I don't think she's a bad person or anything," Amy continued, disregarding Jude's comment. "But Josh lets her get away with anything. She has her own special food supply and creates her own schedule during the day. And rumor has it that she didn't like the bunk she was assigned to, so she made him change it."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Amy said, pausing and glancing over at her. "Actually, the real rumor is that she switched because she heard which bunk Tommy was assigned to."

Jude stopped walking, her eyes growing wider. "Seriously?"

Amy nodded. "She's now the primary girl's counselor in the same unit of fourteen year-olds, so they have a bunch of activities together. It might just be coincidence, but she was talking about him a lot before you all got here."

Quietly, Jude nodded, taking it all in, and began walking slowly again. Silence filled the air between them, as they walked alongside each other towards the bunk.

Observing Jude's reaction, Amy thought to herself for a few moments and then asked, "So…if you're not interested in Tommy, why does it matter?"

Jude shrugged. "I don't know…I guess I just wanted to know who he was hanging out with lately."

"Why not ask him? Aren't you two friends?" Amy asked.

Jude chuckled quietly, imagining Tommy's reaction to a question about the girl who was suddenly consuming all of his attention. "We are, but I can't ask him about this stuff. He would think...well, it's just…Tommy and I have an _interesting_ relationship."

"Interesting is never good," Amy remarked, finally reaching the bunk and watching as the kids all ran inside to change out of their wet bathing suits.

"Not when you're asking who another girl in his life is," Jude replied with a knowing grin, walking up the stairs.

"Understood," Amy assented. "But for the record, you should probably give Nicole a chance. Maybe she's not so bad and we just got off on the wrong foot."

Jude gave a small nod, knowing that Amy was right. It wouldn't be fair to judge her based on rumors. She'd just have to find out for herself.

- - -

Sitting on a couch with a bowl full of potato chips, Jude, Speed, Karma, Jamie, and Kwest were all gathered together, telling stories of their past few days and the kids in their bunks. Jude was attempting to stay focused on all of the stories, but kept one eye focused on the front door, waiting for a certain brunette couple to enter.

"Well, at least your kids didn't attempt to paint the walls of the bunk," Karma was saying to Speed. "They brought in four gallons of purple finger paint from arts and crafts."

Speed snorted in response, shoving a chip into his mouth. "What were they going to do? Make handprints all over the walls?"

"Who knows," Karma replied with a head shake.

"Well, my kids took turns throwing each other into the lake," Kwest offered. "Do you have any idea how bad that place smells? There's now a stench of fish and wet socks all around our bunk."

"Ugh, gross," Speed replied. "The kids in my bunk refuse to get up for breakfast. I had to shoot them with water guns this morning to get them up."

"That's my kind of bunk," Jude remarked with a grin.

"Did you see my kids during dinner last night?" Jamie asked. "They decided that it was a perfect opportunity for a massive food fight."

"Oh yeah," Kwest said, with a light laugh. "I remember watching the hamburger buns fly across the room."

"The hamburger buns were nothing in comparison to the ketchup and mustard," Jamie added. "I never realized how hard it is to get that stuff out of your hair."

"Ahh, I knew you smelled a little different," Jude said with a smirk. "But I thought that was just new cologne."

"Very funny," Jamie said with an eye roll as they all laughed. "So, are your kids all angels?

"Not exactly," Jude replied. "They're loud and wild and definitely nosy. And they're completely boy-crazy, but they're pretty good kids."

"Boy crazy or Tommy crazy?" Karma asked to clarify. "My kids are nine and they're completely obsessed with him."

"What is it?" Speed questioned, throwing his hands up in the air. "The guy's old. And he's not even singing anymore."

"Older men can be attractive," Karma remarked knowingly. "I think he just has that…thing. Girls love him, regardless of how old they are."

"Do I have that thing?" Speed asked her curiously.

Offering him a sugary sweet smile, Karma leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Of course you do, Speedy."

As they all laughed, Jude noticed the door open and the couple she was hoping to see emerge into the main room. She watched as Tommy and Nicole walked towards the side of the room, taking a seat in two chairs near the TV.

Excusing herself quietly, Jude got up from the couch and casually walked over towards them, hearing her heart beat quickly in her chest.

As she got closer, she watched them talking quietly and exchanging smiles. Her stomach began to churn at their interaction, but she quickly took a deep breath to settle her inner disturbance and closed the gap between them.

Remembering the story she had already worked out, she subtly cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Jude," Tommy said, appearing startled by her presence, sitting back in his chair and looking up at her.

"Hi," she started timidly, attempting to sound as convincing as possible. "Sorry to interrupt, but I just had a question for you about tomorrow's program."

"Okay," he said, glancing between Nicole and Jude. "Sorry…Jude, this is Nicole, one of the other counselors in my unit. Nicole, this is Jude Harrison. She's…umm," he stumbled a bit before finishing, "my co-instructor for the songwriting program."

"Hi," Jude said with a friendly smile, holding out her hand, which Nicole shook. She then looked apologetically at Tommy and said, "Sorry, but I just wanted to see if you had a chance to put those writing packets together for tomorrow."

Tommy's expression turned to one of confusion. "I thought we said we were going to forget about the packets."

"We did?" Jude asked, feigning forgetfulness.

"Yeah…remember?" he asked, trying to prod her memory. "You said that a packet of writing tips was too academic. It reminded you of Cliffs Notes."

"Ohhh…I did say that, didn't I?" she asked, with a shake of her head. "Sorry, I thought we were still using them."

Despite her feeling that every word that came out of her mouth screamed 'liar,' he simply nodded and said, "It's okay."

"So we're just going to talk about the importance of the chorus tomorrow?" she asked.

"That's the plan," he replied slowly, watching closely as she began to fiddle with the edge of her t-shirt.

Ignoring the fact that she was becoming suspicious, she glanced over at Nicole and asked casually, "So, are you from around here?"

Nicole smirked at the question. "Is anyone? This place is like, the middle of nowhere."

"Right," Jude agreed. "Where are you from then?"

"Outside Toronto," Nicole replied.

_Great_, Jude thought to herself, smiling outwardly. "That's good. And what do you do when you're not a primary counselor?"

"I'm in school for psychotherapy," Nicole answered, gazing over at Tommy before adding, "Although I'm secretly hoping for my own big music break."

"Really?" Jude asked, glancing between them.

"She's a great singer," Tommy said, keeping his eyes locked on Nicole's.

"Not great, I'm just okay," Nicole countered.

"Okay? That's an understatement," he retorted.

Feeling her nausea intensify, Jude closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and tried to replicate one of Karma's most charming smiles.

"How nice," Jude said, failing to cover the sarcasm in her voice.

"Yeah," Nicole said, taking no notice of Jude's comment, her eyes still set on Tommy.

"Well," Jude started, clapping her hands together to remind them that she was still standing there. They instantly both looked up at her as she said, "I think I'm going to head back now."

"Ok. It was nice to meet you, Julie," Nicole said with a smile.

"It's Jude," she replied through gritted teeth and a forced grin. "And it was _so_ nice to meet you too," Jude added, flashing Tommy an even wider superficial grin before turning around and walking back towards the couch.

"Bitch," she muttered to herself, before plopping down between Jamie and Kwest, attempting to shrug it off and make the most out of the rest of her night.


	15. Chapter 15

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the delay, but I had some trouble with this chapter...there's a lot packed in here, so I hope it's not confusing at all. I'm not sure how I feel about the final product, but hopefully you'll all like it!

Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate any feedback you have, so please continue to let me know! Here's the next chapter...Enjoy!

* * *

"She knows your name," Amy declared, throwing some popcorn into her mouth. 

They were sitting on the porch of their bunk after curfew that night, Jude having told Amy the story of her earlier encounter with Tommy and Nicole.

"During training, we all talked about how you and Tommy were teaching songwriting – it was a big deal and she, of anybody, would've known who you were."

"So you think she messed up my name on purpose?" Jude asked, digging her hand into the bag of popcorn that Amy had stolen from the staff lounge.

Amy shrugged. "I don't know…I just know that she definitely knew your name."

"It doesn't make sense," Jude said thoughtfully. "Wouldn't she think that Tommy would notice?"

"She probably had him all distracted," Amy offered. "Was her shirt low-cut?"

Jude nodded. "I could practically see everything."

"So…chances are…he wasn't paying attention to anything coming out of her mouth," Amy ventured with a snigger, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Jude couldn't help but laugh in response, knowing that she was probably right.

"Okay, it's official," Jude announced after their laughter had subsided, "she's on my hit list."

Amy's brows rose at her statement. "And who else would be on this hit list of yours?"

Jude shrugged. "Just Nicole. And maybe Tommy for liking her. Oh, and that creepy guy from the kitchen who keeps trying to show me his tattoos."

"And let's not forget Josh, who lets his sister get away with murder," Amy added.

"Right, and Josh."

As Jude grabbed another handful of popcorn, Amy bit her lip, debating whether she should ask the question she wanted to.

"Jude?"

"Yeah?"

"When you said that you and Tommy have an _interesting_ relationship, what exactly does that mean?" she asked slowly, watching Jude closely to make sure she hadn't upset her.

Brushing the popcorn off her hands, Jude stopped at the sound of Amy's question and peered down at the wooden planks below them, the memories flooding back to her.

She sighed and said softly, "We've been through a lot together. He used to be my biggest fan, my mentor, my best friend…even my boyfriend. But it all kind of fell apart."

"Why?" Amy asked curiously.

Jude took a deep breath before looking back up at Amy, not wanting to reveal how much the situation was continuing to affect her. "Tommy…he's just a tough one, you know? He wants something one minute, and the next minute, he's not sure. He's just never committed to anything…or anyone. And I'm certainly no exception."

Her tone was straightforward and composed as she answered the question. Watching her closely, Amy could tell that she was trying to be strong and distance herself from the situation, but she also knew that there was more to the story than Jude was letting on. However, sensing that Jude wasn't comfortable divulging more information, Amy decided not to press any further.

"Men really do suck," Amy stated emphatically, tossing some more popcorn into her mouth.

"Not all of them," Jude countered. "Jamie's really reliable and trustworthy. He knows what he wants and isn't scared of it."

"So you're happy with Jamie then?" Amy asked tentatively.

"Of course," Jude responded quickly. "Just because Tommy and I had…a thing…doesn't mean that I can't be happy with someone else."

Amy nodded in understanding, still appearing skeptical, but kept her doubts to herself.

"And what about you?" Jude asked suddenly, looking for a way to shift conversation away from herself.

"Me?" Amy asked in surprise. "Oh well…I'm single."

"And no prospects?"

Amy shook her head, looking down for a moment. "I was actually with someone for two years. We broke up a couple of months before I came here."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jude replied, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Don't be," Amy said confidently. "If I learned anything from that relationship, it's that I'm happier being single than being with the wrong person. You know?"

Jude mindlessly gave a small nod in response, but Amy's words continued to echo in her mind. Although they were spoken about Amy's past relationship, Jude couldn't help but consider their meaning in her own life. She was content in her relationship with Jamie, but she found herself thinking back to when they had just been friends…she had been happy then, with no questions and no reservations. Could she really say that she was just as happy with her decision to date him? Was it possible that she was better off just making herself happy?

All of these thoughts stayed with her, as she and Amy polished off the rest of the popcorn and went back into the bunk to officially call it a night.

- - -

"So, did you want to work on tomorrow's program?" Jude asked, keeping her head down towards the notebook she had been writing in.

She and Tommy had gotten through all of their songwriting programs for the day and were finally getting a moment of peace, as the clock turned to officially start their off period.

At the sound of her question, Tommy scratched his head thoughtfully, gazing over towards Jude. "Ummm…well, I would…but…."

"But you have plans," she finished for him, looking up at him expectantly.

"Yeah, sort of," he said uneasily.

"Let me guess," she started, turning towards him fully and crossing her arms. "You're meeting up with oh…what's her name? Nina? Noelle?"

He cocked his head at her, giving her a faint grin. "Very funny."

"I'm sorry, did I _accidentally_ make a mistake on her name?" she asked, dramatically putting a hand on her head to stir her memory. "You know, it's so _hard_ to remember these things."

"Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands to stop her rant. "I get it. She messed up your name. I'm sorry for that."

Jude scoffed at his apology. "No need for you to apologize. I just didn't realize it was so difficult to remember…you know, since it has so many syllables and sounds so…European."

At her words, he couldn't help but laugh, making her giggle gently in response.

"Okay, so your name should've been easy to remember. I never said I dated the smartest girls in the world," he admitted, causing Jude's eyebrows to raise.

"So you are…_dating_ her?" she asked, the mood in the room immediately becoming more serious.

At her question, he shyly turned towards the stage, avoiding her gaze. He shrugged, clearly uncomfortable answering her.

"I don't know…I guess…"

At the sound of his admission, she turned towards the stage, trying not to let him see her reaction. While she knew that there was something going on between him and Nicole, actually hearing him admit it seemed to spark a sadness in her that she wasn't expecting to feel. She took a deep breath, trying to shake off her emotions and appear to remain unphased.

"That's great," she said flatly, not looking in his direction and knowing that the tone in her response instantly gave away the truth behind her calm appearance.

He gazed over at her, seeing her staring down at her notebook, his eyes softening by the wounded expression on her face.

"Jude, I—"

"You don't need to explain," she said quickly, cutting him off, glancing back up at him. "It's fine. It's good really. I mean, we said we were moving on and you should. I'm happy for you. Really."

Tommy gazed at her warily, looking as if he was going to say something, but stopped himself and simply offered her a nod.

"Nicole…she has a car and offered to take me into town during our free period. It's not a big deal…more a method of escape," he explained. "We can go through tomorrow's program later. Maybe after dinner?"

She nodded and forced her lips to turn upwards into a grin. "Sure. No problem."

He nodded in response and grabbed his bag, turning to leave. Before walking out of the room, he turned towards her and asked, "Do you want anything? You know, from the outside world?"

She offered a more genuine smile and shook her head. "That's okay, thanks. I think I'm doing okay in here."

"Okay. I'll see you later then," he said, looking at her for a few moments before turning and walking out of the room.

As she heard the door close, Jude let out a loud sigh, putting her head in her hands, repeating to herself that she shouldn't be bothered and that this was all her decision in the first place.

- - -

Entering the dining hall for dinner that night, Jude felt more at ease with the situation. She had taken a long walk during her free period, feeling rested and calmer than before. While part of her continued to be bothered by the fact that Tommy and Nicole were dating, she made the decision that she needed to accept it. She didn't need to like Nicole or them being together, but she did like having Tommy back in her life and didn't want to give that up. And Nicole would just have to learn to deal with that. And maybe learn her name in the process.

Walking slowly over towards her table, she heard her name being called. She scanned the room and saw the kids in her bunk running up to her, trying to get her attention.

"What? Is something wrong?" she asked in a panic as Karly reached her first.

"No, no…nothing's wrong," Karly replied with a smile, grabbing her hand and pulling her back towards their table. "Come on…you have a present!"

"A present?" Jude repeated in confusion, being pulled along by Karly and the other girls following.

As she made her way to her seat at the table, she saw a large cup with steam flowing out of the top. As she got closer, she could smell the strong and incredible aroma of real, genuine coffee.

"What is this?" she asked in excitement, looking down at the mysterious cup of coffee sitting on the table directly in front of her chair.

"There's a note," Karly said, handing her a folded napkin that was placed under the cup.

Opening it, Jude read:

_**Even though you said you didn't need anything, **_

_**here's a little something from the outside world **_

_**I know you've missed.**_

Smiling widely, Jude folded the napkin and put it into her pocket, picking up the cup and bringing it to her lips.

"Well? Who's it from?" Karly asked, all of the girls watching her closely.

She took a small sip, the warmth and flavor immediately filling her with pure happiness. She then looked at them and shrugged.

"Just a friend," she replied vaguely, with a small smile. "A friend who knows me too well."


	16. Chapter 16

Hi again! I'm back with another chapter.  
I do have some bad news to share...I'm going away on Tuesday for a few days and won't be home until early next week. :( I contemplated trying to get another post up before then, but I don't think it's going to happen...so this one will just have to tide you over for a little while. It's a bit of a transitional chapter, but there's some good drama nonetheless. 

Thanks to everyone who's been revieweing...you all are the best and keep me motivated to write more! I'll be back next Tuesday and should have a new chapter posted by then. Promise! Enjoy!

* * *

"So I told the kids that understanding the economic culture of the music industry is extremely important in order to get a music contract," Jamie was saying, emphasizing his words with a shake of his hands in the air. Jude sat next to him in the staff lounge, listening quietly, waiting for an opportunity to express her opinion.

"Jamie, don't you think that's kind of _intense _for a bunch of eleven year-olds?" Jude asked, trying to be as gentle as possible. "I mean, I think it might be good for them later on in life, but do you think it's over their heads a bit?"

"Not at all," he countered firmly. "They need to be prepared for everything."

Preferring to avoid an argument, Jude decided to keep her reservations quiet. "Whatever you say, Jamie."

"Anyway," he continued, "I reviewed all of the graphs and statements that I created last night and then had them put together their own business plan for a record studio."

"And how did they do?" she asked.

He shrugged at her question. "Fair. Some of them really didn't grasp the concept of running a successful business."

As she opened her mouth to remind him yet again of their age, the door opened and Tommy walked in, with Nicole trailing right behind. Jude quickly re-focused, turning her attention towards the door, and gave a small smile in his direction.

Tommy spotted Jude immediately and turned to say something quickly to Nicole, before walking over to where she and Jamie were seated on the couch. Nicole followed close behind, reaching for Tommy's hand as they approached.

"Hi," Tommy said, looking between them. "Do you mind if we sit?"

"Not at all," Jude responded cheerfully, not giving Jamie a moment to object. She glanced over at him with a smile, hoping he would cooperate.

"Oh sorry…Jamie, this is Nicole. Nicole, Jamie," Tommy introduced. Jamie got up briefly to shake her hand, then both of them took seats across from each other.

"And you remember _Jude_," Tommy added with an emphasis on her name, followed by a subtle grin.

"Right. Hi," Nicole said casually with a wave in Jude's direction, clearly not catching on to Tommy's insinuation.

Jude offered a small wave in response as they all got comfortable in seats across from each other.

"So…how's your program going?" Tommy asked Jamie politely.

"Pretty good. The kids are a little slow to understand everything, but I think it's coming along. I hear yours is going well," Jamie said, peering over at Jude as he responded.

"Yeah, it is," Tommy said with a nod. "I don't want to brag or anything, but we're apparently the favorite."

"That we are," Jude concurred with a smile, her eyes meeting his.

"Yeah, well, you two got a great topic. Kids would much rather write songs than listen to a speech on why the CEO of a record label is important," Jamie explained.

"Yeah, but we keep it fun," Jude said. "Or at least, we try."

"I think we do," Tommy agreed.

"You could spice yours up a little too," Jude suggested, looking at Jamie. "You know, take them outside…let them do something…creative."

"And what exactly would be creative about how to get a record contract?" Jamie asked with raised brows.

"I don't know. Maybe they can practice signing their names on the dotted line?" Jude offered, eliciting a smirk from Tommy.

"Yeah…I'll take that under consideration," Jamie replied with a quick eye roll. "So, Nicole, are you a primary counselor?"

"Yes," she responded, perking up at the sound of her name. "For the fourteen year-olds. I'm in Girls Bunk 6."

"And do you like that age group?" Jamie asked.

"I guess," Nicole replied with a shrug. "I mean, they're teenage girls, so they're basically a big pain in the butt."

"I hear that," Jude said, shaking her head. "My kids are thirteen. They're just starting to realize that it's more fun to be social than to actually listen."

"But you're a music specialist," Nicole countered promptly. "So it's not like you're spending all day with them. Trust me, it's much harder being a primary counselor."

Jude furrowed her brow at her comment, finding her tone to be condescending.

"Well…your job may be difficult, but have you ever sat through one of Tommy and my songwriting programs?" Jude started, attempting to keep her voice as calm and positive as possible. "It's not easy controlling a group of kids who have trouble sitting still for more than two minutes."

"Whatever," Nicole mumbled with an eye roll.

Jude flashed Jamie a look that easily translated into irritation, to which he put on his best smile and turned back towards Tommy and Nicole.

"So, did you guys hear about our days off?" he asked.

"Days off? What days off?" Tommy asked in response.

"I overheard Josh talking to Darius this morning. They were saying that all of the staff is going to get one day off during the summer. So we can get out of this place and get back to reality for at least 24 hours," Jamie said with an edge of excitement.

"That's great," Jude said, her eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, it's really great," Tommy agreed.

"Oh, I can't wait already!" Nicole exclaimed, looking at Tommy with a coy smile. "It'll give us lots of time together."

Sensing the awkwardness of the situation, Tommy cleared his throat and smiled uncomfortably at Jude and Jamie.

"So…Jude," Tommy started, trying to divert conversation, "did you get a _special_ course at dinner tonight?"

Jude's features immediately brightened, a wide smile emerging at his question. "Why yes, I believe I did. It was a really nice surprise."

"Special course?" Jamie repeated, glancing at Jude inquisitively.

"Yeah…someone very nice smuggled in some real coffee from the outside world," she explained with a grin towards Tommy.

"That coffee was for her?" Nicole asked, looking incredulously at Tommy. "I thought you said it was for later."

"It was," he attempted to explain. "I brought it back thinking I would save it, but I just thought Jude would like it more."

Jude smiled meekly, enjoying watching Nicole's resentment build right in front of her.

"Well, thank you," Jude said to him, cutting off any further protests from Nicole. "I really appreciated it. I forgot how much I missed it."

"No problem," he replied with a grin, his eyes meeting hers for a moment before glancing over towards Nicole.

"So…maybe we should…do you want to go outside?" he asked her, stumbling a bit over his words, seeing Nicole's bothered expression.

"Yes, definitely," Nicole replied with a nod, standing. "Have a nice night."

"You too!" Jude said with an overly enthusiastic smile in her direction. "Oh, Tommy?"

"Yeah?" he said, standing up too.

"What about the program tomorrow?" she asked. "Did you want to talk about it at all?"

He briefly peeked behind him at Nicole before turning back towards Jude, biting his lip.

"Ummm…well…." he started, looking at her doubtfully, "I'm not sure if now's a good time actually."

"Okay," she replied simply. "Maybe we can just talk at breakfast then?"

"That would be great," he said with a sigh of relief.

Watching as Nicole latched onto Tommy and pulled him away towards the porch, Jude's eyes followed them outside, noting the slight reluctance in each of his steps. As they disappeared behind the door, Jude turned back towards Jamie, who had also been watching them.

"So…that was awkward," Jamie stated, sitting back against the couch.

"You think?" Jude asked doubtfully. She knew he was right - it had been awkward – but she tried to keep a cool exterior, appearing unaffected by their interaction.

"Totally," Jamie confirmed.

"I don't know," Jude started skeptically. "I mean, they may not be the perfect couple but they seem to be relatively happy."

"Jude," Jamie said emphatically, causing her to look at him more seriously, "I wasn't talking about the two of them. I was talking about you and Tommy."

"What?" she immediately questioned, her voice ringing in surprise.

"He bought you coffee?" Jamie asked, cocking his head at her. "Why would he do that?"

Jude visibly became defensive, crossing her arms across her chest. "It was a nice gesture, Jamie. Maybe you should try it sometime."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jamie questioned, his tone rising.

Taking a deep breath, Jude looked down, away from his heated reaction. "Look, Tommy and I are friends. And I'm not sure how many times I'm going to have to say it for you to believe it."

"Well gee, Jude. Maybe if he had been buying his own girlfriend gifts instead of _my_ girlfriend, I'd believe it a little more easily," Jamie retorted harshly.

"It was just coffee!" Jude exclaimed, standing up from the couch. All eyes in room immediately veered towards her, as the sound of her voice disrupted the calm that had previously been there. Feeling everyone's attention on her, she took another deep breath to relax and slow down her rapidly beating heart.

"Jamie, I am trying really hard here. I spent all of third period with you today at arts and crafts. I asked you what you were doing on your off period. I even risked my life to come visit you during lunch. And yet, it's still not enough for you."

"Jude, when he mentioned the coffee, you lit up. We all noticed," he declared in a matter-of-fact tone. "And it just made me think that I hadn't seen you look that happy since you performed that free concert on the roof of that building months ago."

"So? It was good coffee!" Jude hollered, her tone now overflowing with frustration, not caring if everyone was listening.

Exhaling loudly, Jamie took a moment to compose himself before responding. "I'm just saying, it would be nice if maybe you smiled like that because of me."

"That's not fair, Jamie," Jude countered. "You're blowing all of this way out of proportion. It wasn't a big deal. He's dating someone. And so am I. Remember? _You're_ my boyfriend?"

Shaking his head, Jamie stood up from the couch, his eyes meeting hers. "Well you don't always act like I am," he stated tersely.

Quietly, Jude retreated a few steps away from him, trying to keep from completely exploding again. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. We've been through this same argument at least a dozen times and I'm tired of it."

"So am I," Jamie agreed.

Sighing loudly, Jude ran a hand through her hair, twisting the ends around her fingers. "I think we should just call it a night. I'm going to go hang out with Karma for awhile. We'll just talk tomorrow, okay?"

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, fine."

Without another word or kiss goodnight, Jude turned around and walked out the front door towards the parking lot, where she could hear Karma and Spied recounting stories from their days. Leaving Jamie behind, she felt the distance between them grow, in more ways than one.


	17. Chapter 17

Hello! I'm back. I had a great vacation and got some well-needed inspiration for this story, so yay! I actually started to map the rest of the story out and all I can just say is that I can't believe I'm only on chapter 17 since there's still so much left! Lots of good stuff coming though. :-)

Thanks to everyone who's been reading! I appreciate all of your feedback so much, and coming home to read everyone's comments was great! I started working on the next chapter and should have it up within the next few days, as long as you like this one. So let me know what you think! Happy Halloween and ENJOY!

* * *

Standing next to the stage, Jude and Tommy silently organized stacks of papers into handouts as they waited for the kids to arrive. They had yet to discuss any aspect of their interaction from the night before. Jude knew that if she started talking, she wouldn't be able to conceal her feelings about Nicole, so she decided to just keep her mouth shut.

"Do you want to start with the Beatles song?" Tommy asked, stapling a group of papers together. They had decided to review the choruses of a few well-known songs, in hopes of showing the kids what makes this part of the song so important.

"Sure," she responded without looking up. "Unless you'd rather start with Bob Dylan."

"Nah," he replied, shaking his head. "We can go chronologically."

Quiet settled over them again as they continued working. Disliking the quiet, Jude's mind raced to come up with something to say that wouldn't involve Nicole.

But Tommy broke the silence, asking, "So, did you figure out your day off yet?"

Josh had sent around a notice to all staff that morning officially announcing the day off policy. They had been given two options for days off – one during the second week and one during the third.

She nodded. "Yeah, Amy wanted to take the first day and since we both can't be out at the same time, I think I'm going to take the second one."

"Me too," he replied, keeping his head down. "I wanted to take the first day to get out of here sooner, but I figured what's another week."

"Right," she agreed, hesitating before asking, "Are you planning to head home for the day?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think Nicole has plans of her own, and since she's the one with the car, I'm basically at her mercy. What about you?"

"I have no clue," she replied honestly. "Jamie's trying to get the same day off, but I have no idea how we're actually going to get out of this place."

"Well, we could give you a ride if you want," he offered, glancing sideways at her.

Her brows rose at his suggestion, considering the four of them being stuck in Nicole's small car together.

"I don't know…" she started tentatively. "I mean, I just don't know what our plans are yet…but thanks for the offer."

She looked up at him, meeting his gaze, and smiled timidly.

"Well, when you decide, let me know. The offer still stands," he said, resuming his stapling.

"I will, thanks," she replied quietly. She bit her lip for a few moments, considering whether to ask her next question. But deciding it was part of the planning process, she posed, "Do you think Nicole will mind?"

He shrugged at her question. "Probably not. She's one of the few people with a car, so she should be fine with helping out the other staff."

Although Jude doubted that Nicole would be jumping for joy at Tommy's offer, she opted to not question whether Nicole was quite as selfless as he made her seem.

Before any further conversation ensued, they heard the front door of the building open and quiet footsteps echo towards the main room.

They both turned around, expecting to see kids entering the room, but instead, were surprised to see Amy emerge.

"Amy?" Jude asked, confused. "What are you doing here? Aren't you off this period?"

"Maybe she wants to learn a little songwriting in her downtime," Tommy suggested with a smirk.

"Uhhhh…no," Amy replied, hearing Tommy's idea, approaching them at the stage. "As tempting as that sounds, I actually came to see if I could talk to Jude for a minute."

"Is everything okay?" Jude asked instinctively, noticing that Amy's usual lighthearted expression was more serious.

"Everything's fine. I just didn't have a chance to talk to you at breakfast, so I figured I'd pop in before your program starts," Amy explained.

"Sure, okay," Jude agreed, putting her papers down on the stage. She then turned to Tommy and said quickly, "I'll be back."

"Take your time," he urged with a devious grin. "If you don't come back, I'll just replace the Beatles song you picked with my favorite Pink Floyd one."

"Very funny," she said, rolling her eyes.

She and Amy walked towards the back door, leading out to the fire escape. She opened the door, causing the cool air to rush inside, and they stepped outside. The gray sky above them threatened rain, and Jude crossed her arms around herself to keep warm as the wind grew stronger.

Settling outside, Amy looked sincerely at Jude and said, "I'm sorry for dragging you away like this, but there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"It's no problem," Jude replied. "What's up?"

Amy took a deep breath, something clearly on her mind. Her usual calm exterior seemed to show a look of concern, as she uneasily glanced behind her to make sure the door was closed.

"You know Hailey in our bunk?" Amy asked.

Jude replied with a nod, remembering the petite blonde girl with glasses. "I know her, although I honestly haven't spoken to her much since that first day when I met her."

"Right, I hadn't either," Amy agreed. "She just seemed shy, but I noticed a few days ago that she had become really isolated. So I've been trying to make an effort to include her in activities, to make sure she's hanging out with the rest of the girls. But she just doesn't seem to be happy."

Jude thought about her own contact with Hailey, her expression becoming more reflective. "She takes songwriting, but I don't think she likes it. She usually sits by herself and doesn't seem to get along with anyone else in the program."

"That's the thing," Amy said in response. "She doesn't like any of the other kids, but they don't like her either. I've been hearing Jessica and her friends talking about her behind her back."

"Girls," Jude remarked with an eye roll.

"I know," Amy replied in agreement. "I've told them to stop, to try to make her feel like she's part of the group, but it's not working. And I think it's really starting to affect her."

"How so?" Jude asked.

"Well, she doesn't want to participate in anything. Swimming, arts and crafts, nothing," Amy stated. "And even worse, I noticed the last couple of days, she hasn't really been eating."

"Not eating?" Jude repeated, her eyes widening in concern. "Like, anything?"

Amy shook her head. "Barely anything. I convinced her last night to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I think that was it for the day. She said she didn't feel well."

"Can we take her to the infirmary?" Jude suggested.

Amy shrugged. "We can, but I don't know if it's a physical problem, you know?"

Jude grew quiet, thinking about when she had sat next to Hailey at breakfast the day before. While everyone else had eaten their cereal, Hailey had simply played with hers, swishing it around in her bowl. Jude hadn't thought twice about it at the time, but now, she realized it could've been a sign of something bigger.

"Yeah…you could be right," Jude said, the worry evident in her voice.

"So I was thinking," Amy started with a more positive tone, "that maybe you could talk to her."

"Me?" Jude questioned, her brows raised.

"She really looks up to you, Jude. She was so excited to hear you'd be in our bunk. I think maybe she'd be willing to open up to you…or at least, she'll listen to anything you have to say."

Jude took a deep breath as her nerves suddenly intensified. She wanted to help, but she was skeptical about her own ability to make the situation better. What if she upset Hailey and made it worse?

"I don't know…I wouldn't even know what to say to her," Jude said, pursing her lips together.

"Just listen to her," Amy suggested. "Ask her how things are going, tell her something great about being here. Or tell her that you're worried about her. Honestly, just showing her that you're happy she's here could be enough."

"You think?" Jude asked tentatively.

"Definitely," Amy replied firmly. "I really think it's worth a shot. And if it doesn't work, then we can ask the nurses in the infirmary to help."

Releasing her breath, Jude started to feel more comfortable and confident at the thought of helping her camper.

"Okay," she agreed. "I'll talk to her later. Maybe after dinner."

"Great," Amy replied with a wide smile. "Thanks, Jude."

"Let's just hope it works," she said with a half grin.

"Right," Amy said, before glancing towards the door. "You should probably get back inside before McPerfect in there ruins your program."

"McPerfect?" Jude repeated, scoffing loudly. "McMoron is more like it."

Amy laughed, shaking her head, as Jude opened the back door, both of them retreating into the warmer air inside.

- - - - -

Throughout lunch, Jude found herself glancing at Hailey, watching as she scooped tater tots onto her plate without eating them. Jude occasionally caught Amy's eye across the table, sharing a knowing look at the behavior they both had witnessed.

While the girls chatted about their mornings, Jude remained quiet, thinking about how she was going to handle the conversation with Hailey. As she contemplated her options, she felt a tug on the end of her shirt and looked down to see Jamie crouched down next to her.

"Jamie? What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing around to make sure Josh wasn't nearby.

"I was hoping we could talk," he replied before signaling towards the supervisor's table at the front where Josh was currently seated. "I'm staying low, just in case."

Jude couldn't help but snicker watching him, as the campers began to look behind them at the guy perched beside their bench.

"Just ignore him," Jude announced, seeing their skeptical expressions. She turned towards him again and asked, "What's going on?"

Jamie took a deep breath and looked at her earnestly. "I wanted to apologize. For last night."

Jude's expression immediately changed, her eyes falling towards her plate. "Jamie, I don't want to talk about it."

"I know, but I just need to say that I'm sorry for the way I acted. I may have made a bigger deal out of things than necessary."

"_May_ have?" Jude questioned, her eyes meeting his with her brows raised.

"Okay," he conceded. "I did."

Jude sighed as he continued. "It's hard sometimes seeing you with him. And even though I don't want it to affect me, it does. I'm sorry I let it get out of control though. It wasn't the right way to handle things."

Jude remained quiet, appearing reflective, as she listened to his explanation. She looked into his eyes and softly said, "Thank you. But…I'm not sure if I can accept your apology."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice wavering slightly in alarm.

"I just think…maybe we need to think about this a little more," she said quietly, glancing around the table to make sure no one was listening.

"Think about what exactly?"

Her eyes met his as she explained, "The truth is that your reaction wasn't out of line. It bothers you that I talk to Tommy, or that he bought me coffee. And what you said last night – it might've been a little rash, but it was how you really felt."

He gazed up at her uncertainly, waiting to see where she was going.

"I can't blame you for how you feel," she continued. "But I don't think I should have to stop being friends with him."

"You shouldn't," he interjected. "I guess I just have to learn how to deal with it better."

"But can you do that? Do you really think there will be a time when it doesn't bother you to see us hanging out?" she asked pleadingly.

He thought for a few moments and replied sincerely, "I don't know."

Her gaze returned to her plate, as she said, "I just…need to think about this."

"Jude," he said, grabbing her hands, "I want to make this work. And I don't want Tommy to come between us."

"You're the one letting that happen though," she replied before she could stop herself. Taking a deep breath, she added, "I want this to work too. But I need to figure out how to do that. Just give me a little time…okay?"

Without responding, he let go of her hands and stood up, his gaze fixed to hers. Finally, he nodded and said, "Okay. But I'm not just giving up. I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

She grinned lightly at him and nodded. "Thanks."

He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before walking back towards his table. Jude released the breath she had been holding, finally feeling her heartbeat return to normal. As the kids finished their meals, she returned to her inner thoughts, now finding her conscience torn between her unhappy camper and her unhappy boyfriend.


	18. Chapter 18

Hi everyone! I know I've been a little slow in posting, but I promise it's just because I'm trying to get it all perfect. Here's the next chapter...there's no real Jommy action, but I'm hoping you like it anyway. And some fun surprises coming very soon. :)

Thanks again to everyone for reading and posting reviews! They are greatly appreciated so please keep letting me know what you think. And enjoy!

* * *

"Sadie…I don't know what to do," Jude whined, collapsing into the chair next to her sister's desk. It was her off period and as usual, Tommy had decided to spend it with Nicole, so Jude had gone to visit her sister in the main office. 

"What's the problem?" Sadie asked curiously, filing some papers into a folder.

"What isn't the problem?" Jude asked in response. "I have a camper who's withdrawn and potentially anorexic, a boyfriend who can't seem to get over his own insecurities, a co-instructor who can't keep his hands off the biggest bitch in camp, and on top of it all, a constant headache from lack of real caffeine."

"Wow," Sadie replied, putting her folder down. "Okay…well, seeing as I have about ten phone calls to make to worried parents who have yet to receive a letter from their kids and therefore think they're dead, you'll need to prioritize here. Pick your most important."

"But they're all equally important," Jude protested.

"Okay…then I'll pick. Let's talk about the boyfriend," Sadie stated decisively.

"Ohh, do we have to?" Jude griped. "Besides, if I'm ranking these in order of importance, don't you think that a camper with a possible psychological disorder would fall higher on the list than my relationship issues?"

Sadie glared at her sister. "Jude, over the years, I've come to learn that you are more than capable of solving major life issues on your own. However, the one area you cannot seem to handle yourself is your love life."

"Thanks," Jude replied with an eye roll.

Disregarding her comment, Sadie sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "So, explain to me how it's possible that you're seriously having relationship problems again. Can you not last longer than six months without having some life-altering romantic crisis?"

"Apparently not," Jude muttered listlessly, covering her eyes with her hands.

Taking a deep breath, Sadie prepared herself for a lengthy discussion. "Okay, so what's the problem exactly? Because from my perspective, he seems like he's been a pretty great boyfriend."

"He has," Jude admitted, the guilt emanating from her voice.

"So…you're dumping him for no good reason then?"

"What? No…I never said I _was_ dumping him," Jude defended. "I just…don't know if it's working."

Pausing a moment to ponder her sister's remark, Sadie uncrossed her arms and leaned in closer to the desk.

"Let me take a wild guess," Sadie ventured, watching her sister closely, "does this whole 'not working' thing have anything to do with one of your other problems? You know, a certain ex-boybander problem?"

"Oh, you mean the ex-boybander with the girlfriend from hell?" Jude promptly replied, raising her brows.

"That's the one," Sadie confirmed. "Would those two problems happen to be related?"

"Sort of," Jude replied skeptically. "It's just that Jamie gets really uptight about any interaction I have with Tommy. He doesn't like us meeting during off periods to review the program or just talking in the lounge at night."

Sadie nodded in understanding, adding, "And I'm sure he wasn't happy about the coffee Tommy bought you."

Jude's eyes widened and her jaw gaped, knowing that she herself had not told Sadie about the coffee incident.

"Is nothing in this camp private?" Jude asked loudly.

"I run the office, Jude," Sadie reminded her, beckoning to her surroundings. "I have to approve everyone who exits and enters the camp grounds, so I saw them leave and then come back with a cup of coffee that mysteriously wound up at your dinner table."

Jude calmed down at her sister's explanation. "Okay…so he bought me coffee. But it didn't mean anything."

"Right," Sadie said doubtfully. "See, the thing is, I'd be much more likely to believe that statement if you two hadn't had a thing just a few months ago."

"A thing?" Jude replied with a smirk. "It was more like a week of delusion."

"Jude," Sadie uttered with a knowing look, "my point is that I understand why that would upset Jamie. That's all."

"I know," Jude replied with a sigh. "That's not the only issue with him though. I'm just not sure if it's…_there_."

"Ahhh, the truth finally comes out," Sadie remarked with a clap of her hands.

"I'm serious," Jude said, more firmly. "Regardless of anything with Tommy, I just don't know if Jamie and I have that spark, you know?"

Sadie offered her sister a sad smile, appreciating the honest answer that she never thought she'd hear. "Jude, please don't take this the wrong way, but can you honestly say that it was ever there with Jamie?"

Jude's eyes met her sister's in front of her, seeing her questioning gaze, and knew that no matter how she responded, Sadie would know the truth.

"I don't know," Jude confessed faintly, getting choked up with emotion. "I want to feel that way…I really do…"

"I know you do," Sadie said sympathetically, putting her hand over her sister's. "But you can't force those things."

"I know," Jude said, holding back her tears. "But he wants to make it work and maybe if I give it more time, it can."

"Jude, I know you want to do the right thing, but the longer you wait, the harder this will be. And it sounds like your decision is already made."

"I just…I don't know if I'm ready to completely throw in the towel," Jude said quietly.

Sadie sighed, unsure of what to say. "Look, if you really need more time, then give yourself a deadline. Pick a day that's not too far in the future, and if things haven't changed by then, you'll need to do something about it."

Jude considered her suggestion. "Yeah…that's a good idea. Maybe I'll wait until our day off. That's only a little over a week away and we'll have some time out of camp to figure everything out."

"That sounds perfect," Sadie replied with a more positive smile.

Jude nodded in agreement. "Thanks. So you really have no time to help me with any of my other issues?"

"I'm a busy woman," Sadie replied, standing from her chair.

But looking at her sister's pleading expression, Sadie sighed and shook her head. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and said, "The anorexic girl – just talk to her. Maybe there's more going on with her than you think. Tommy and his new girlfriend – you need to leave them alone. You may not like her, but you honestly have no right to stick your nose in his business. And the headache—" she started, reaching into one of her desk drawers and tossing a white bottle at her sister, "take some Tylenol."

At that, Sadie grabbed the stack of phone messages off her desk and started to walk towards the front of the office. Jude's eyes followed her although her body remained frozen in her chair, reviewing each piece of advice Sadie had rattled off.

"Wow, I'm impressed!" Jude called out after her. "You're good!"

Sadie turned around, offering her sister a satisfied smile, then disappeared behind a corner.

- - -

Walking back from the evening program on classical music, Jude felt her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that she had to deal with problem number one – Hailey. Her mind was racing, going over possible things she could say and questioning if there were better ways to phrase each statement. Above all, she wanted Hailey to feel comfortable with her. She wanted her to trust her. And she didn't want to screw her up more than she already was.

Amy and the campers were all in front of Jude, walking in a pack along the dirt road to their bunk. About four feet behind them was Hailey, walking alone, listening to her ipod. Jude trailed a few steps behind her, debating when to approach her.

Deciding that it was as good a time as ever, Jude took a deep breath and quickened her steps until she was walking alongside Hailey.

Hailey glanced over, sensing someone else's presence beside her, and offered Jude a half grin before taking the earplugs out of her ears.

"Hi," Jude said, hearing her voice come out higher pitch than usual.

"Hey," Hailey replied flatly.

"Did you ummm…did you like the evening program tonight?" Jude asked.

"It was alright," Hailey said with a shrug. "I'm not a big fan of classical music."

Jude smirked quietly. "Me neither. But it's interesting to hear about how it's all composed."

"I guess," Hailey muttered.

"So," Jude started, trying to keep her voice even, "how's everything going?"

"It's okay," Hailey stated indifferently.

"Do you like your music programs?"

Hailey shrugged. "They're fine."

Jude's eyes drifted towards her, replying with a grin, "Well I try to make songwriting better than just fine."

"Your program is good," Hailey corrected. "I guess I'm just not that into it."

"Well, are there things you think we could do better?" Jude asked, looking at her closely.

"I don't know," Hailey replied. "I just don't know if music's really me."

"Well, you're here for a reason," Jude said, slowing down in her walk. Hailey slowed down with her but kept her focus ahead, not glancing over at Jude. "I mean, you had to go through a whole application process, right? So music must be important to you somehow."

"Yeah, but that was before…" Hailey muttered, her eyes falling to the ground.

"Before what?" Jude asked, lightly touching Hailey's arm to stop walking.

Hailey shook her head, returning her gaze upwards to look at Jude. "It's nothing. Things change, that's all."

Jude took a deep breath, turning fully towards her. "Hailey, what's going on? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Hailey stated emphatically, though the sadness in her eyes contradicted her assertion.

"Well, I'm worried about you," Jude said softly, her eyes reflecting her concern. "We all are. You just don't seem to be happy here."

Hailey shrugged. "That's because I'm not."

Jude looked at her questioningly. "Why not?"

"It's stupid," Hailey replied, shifting her weight back and forth.

"I'm sure it's not," Jude said, biting her lip and waiting for Hailey to open up.

"I just…miss home," Hailey admitted quietly. As Jude looked at her, she saw the tears start to well up inside Hailey's eyes. Her heart broke watching her camper show her emotions and she found herself genuinely interested in doing whatever she could to help her.

"It's okay," Jude said softly, putting her hands on Hailey's shoulders. "You're allowed to miss home. I do."

"You do?" Hailey asked in disbelief, looking up at her.

"Of course," Jude replied. "I miss the studio, my bed, my car, my dad...all of it."

"Me too," Hailey confessed, wiping a few of the tears that had fallen onto her cheeks.

"What do you miss most?" Jude asked, her tone sincere and caring.

"My dog," Hailey replied with a light laugh. "It's stupid to miss your dog, but I do. He's just so fun and is always there like a real friend."

Jude's eyes grew softer as she asked, "Do you feel like you don't have any real friends here?"

Silently, Hailey nodded her head in agreement, her eyes falling to the ground.

"Well you know what? You're wrong – you do have at least one friend," Jude said confidently.

"I do?"

"Yes…me," Jude stated with a smile.

"But you don't even know me," Hailey challenged.

"Maybe not," Jude admitted, "but I want to change that. I want to get to know you. And I want us to become good friends."

"Really? Why?" Hailey asked incredulously.

"Because it can be really tough being away from home," Jude explained, her mind working quickly to put a reason together, "but having people around who understand can make it much easier."

Hailey considered her response for a moment, then nodded in consent.

Seeing her reaction, Jude smiled widely. "Although I might not be as good as your dog…but I'll try my best."

Hailey snickered quietly, as Jude turned back towards the bunks and started to walk slowly.

"So what's your dog's name?" she asked Hailey.

"Pebbles," Hailey replied, walking alongside her. "We named him that because his fur is all speckled."

"How old is he?"

"About five…"

Hailey continued telling Jude all about Pebbles, from his ability to roll over on command to his love of swimming. Listening to her stories, Jude felt Hailey become more upbeat, hearing her laugh multiple times and seeing her smile more than she had all summer. Although they didn't discuss her lack of eating, Jude felt better just knowing that she had helped Hailey feel a little better.

And although one of her problems was underway to being solved, she couldn't help but hear the voices in her head reminding her of the countless others she had left to deal with.


	19. Chapter 19

Hi everyone! I know I've been MIA for a couple of weeks now, but I've been working on this story and finally have the next chapter completed.

Before you read it, I just wanted to point out a couple of changes that I made...first is that it's now written in 1st person from Jude's POV. I like this way of writing and I'm hoping it'll add a little something extra. Second is that I'm going to try to speed things up a bit...since every chapter has been a separate day, the story has been moving a bit slow, so I'm hoping to start getting more drama in faster. :)

I hope these changes are relatively smooth, but let me know what you think!! We're leaving off after Jude's conversation with Hailey and Sadie...thanks to everyone for reading! Enjoy!!

* * *

With an overdramatic sigh, I collapse onto the couch in the lounge, throwing my denim jacket over my face in an attempt to tune out the noisy room. I close my eyes under the layer of fabric and try to focus on all of the thoughts swirling around in my head.

It seems as though complete calm in my life is impossible. Some people can go for weeks, even months, without having personal drama…but me, I'm like a constant train wreck. And now, at the end of the day when most people can relax and let their worries disintegrate into oblivion, I am stuck lying here with a brain that will not shut off. It keeps reminding me of what's left on my list of issues. Let's see…

Problem #1: Jamie. I know Sadie's right – I need to make a decision – yet I still have this sinking feeling in my stomach. I've got over a week to figure things out though, so this cannot be the priority at the moment. Right. Moving on…

Problem #2: Nicole & Tommy. Just thinking about them makes me nauseous. And the idea of being trapped in her claustrophobic Jetta sounds about as appealing as pulling out each of my toe nails. How am I supposed to keep my feelings about Nicole hidden from him? And realistically, how am I supposed to not stick my nose into Tommy's business? Isn't that part of my job??

Problem #3. Hailey. A problem on its way to being solved. It was nice seeing her happy, although I hope it's a permanent thing. What if she still doesn't eat? Or what if she continues to keep to herself? You know, on second thought…I need to start focusing on the positive. I'm officially moving this issue to the Problem Solved list.

Which brings me to…the good news.

Problems Solved #1: Hailey. She opened up to me and seemed happy, even if it was just for an hour. She knows she can trust me now and that I'm on her side.

Problems Solved #2: Persistent headaches from lack of caffeine. This one has officially disappeared, thanks to my resourceful sister and her bottle of pain reliever. I knew I visited her for a reason.

Problems Solved #3: The ants on the bathroom floor. I never knew that a can of aerosol deodorant could come in so handy.

Okay, so that's three solved and two unsolved – more than half. Go me.

Wait—is that movement? Who is that? I think two people just sat down on the floor behind the couch. If I weren't hibernating in denim at the moment, I could actually get up and look.

"…and did you hear what he said then?"

"No, what?"

"He said that he'd buy me all the chocolate I want after the summer is over."

A high-pitched female voice is giggling…okay, now, they're both giggling. Who is that?? I take the jacket off my face and lean my ear up against the side of the couch to hear better. I really could just sit all the way up and look over the side of the couch, but it's more fun to figure it out. Like a game. A pathetic, lazy game.

"He really likes you."

"I know…I mean, after all, what's not to like, right?"

Okay, more giggling…and I'm rolling my eyes. Whoever this is really has an ego.

"Did you see us during seventh period?"

"No, what happened?"

"Well, he took me to that spot under the pine tree and played his guitar for me."

The pine tree? A guitar? Wait…that's the same spot I went to talk about the program with Tommy...

"Awww…that sounds romantic."

"Yeah…although he forgot to bring a blanket so my jeans got all dirty."

"Oh, that's unfortunate."

"I know. Those jeans were $200!"

"Wait – so did you talk to him about the demo?"

"Yeah, it was perfect. I played it off like I had no clue what a demo is or what it leads to. He totally fell for it."

"Of course he did. You have him in your trance!"

More giggling. Okay, this is seriously starting to sound suspiciously like…

"I believe his exact words were, 'Nicole, you can do whatever you want to do. I'm just here to help you get there.'"

No way. Oh my god. It's her.

"To which I said, 'Oh Tommy, you're the greatest boyfriend ever.'"

And there's confirmation.

Holy crap! She's talking about their relationship and I'm totally eavesdropping. Although in my defense, I was here first. And since I'm laying down and she can't see me, this doesn't really constitute eavesdropping. It's unintentional. She's talking and I'm accidentally laying here. Listening.

"You have to admit though, if you were going to pick someone in this camp, he is an excellent choice."

Nicole smirks in agreement. "Oh definitely. He's pretty easy on the eyes."

"And how is he…otherwise?"

"Otherwise? Oh…well…let's just say that the word 'little' in his nickname, doesn't really apply."

Oh my god. She did not just say that. Ewww…I'm seriously feeling my dinner come up. I can't listen to this! I need earplugs, cotton balls, anything!

"He is such a good kisser…"

Enough! Hello?? There might be people around who don't want to hear this!

"His lips are just so soft…"

Oh my god. I need a distraction. Okay, think of a song…any song…

"And the way he kisses me…"

_Mary had a little lamb_

_Little lamb_

"…and how he plays with my hair…"

_Little lamb_

_Mary had a little lamb_

Nicole sighs as she adds, "he's just pure perfection."

_Its fleece was white as snow_

"Not a bad deal you've got going, Nic."

"I know! It's not a bad way to get ahead."

_Get ahead?_ What does that mean?

The other girl, whose name I still haven't gotten, asks, "So, did you talk about when you'd be able to do the demo?"

"Not yet…but I'm sure we will. If things stay on track, I'll officially become a signed artist before September."

What??

"And what about Tommy?"

"What about him?" Nicole asks.

"Well, what happens to the two of you after you get the big record deal?"

"Well…I guess he just sort of disappears," she says flatly.

"Disappears?"

"Yeah. He has connections now, but he's pretty much useless after I'm rich and famous."

"That's true. Although I guess you'll be giving up those nice lips…"

"Yeah, but I'll find someone else with better lips. Someone who's a lot younger and makes for better arm candy. Not some tabloid has-been."

Tabloid has-been?! What?? AHH! If I weren't glued to this couch right now, I would strangle her! How could she say that? I might have issues with Tommy, but the man plays arm candy like it's his main job in life.

"What about that Jude girl?" the friend asks.

Hold up—what?

"What about her?"

"Well, they seem kind of close. Do you think she would mess things up at all?"

"No…I mean, I know they had a _thing_ awhile back, but I'm not worried about her," Nicole replies.

"They had a thing? What kind of thing?"

"I don't know. They dated or screwed or maybe she was just obsessed with him. All I know is that they're not together now and her opinion means nothing to either of us."

Excuse me? That is simply not true. My opinion does mean something to Tommy. Doesn't it?

"Well she definitely doesn't like you. You can tell by that glare she gave you last night when you all were talking."

Whoops. Guess I wasn't so subtle.

"She's just jealous."

"She _is_ a rock star, Nicole."

"Yeah, I know, but she's a rock star who couldn't get the one guy she wanted."

WHAT? No, no, no, no! You've got it all wrong! _He_ wanted _me_. Me. Tommy wanted me, Jude. _I_ am the one who rejected _him_! Not the other way around. So get your facts straight!

Suddenly, I feel a strange presence next to me, on my side of the couch. As I glance over, I hear,

"Boo."

My eyes quickly settle on Karma's curious face looking down at me. Before I even know what I'm doing, I tug on her hand – hard – until she's forced down to my level on the couch.

"Ow! What are you doing??" she asks frantically, shaking her hand from where I pulled.

"Shhhhhhhh!" I frantically yell at her, miming for her to stop talking. She gives me this weird look and I point to the other side of the couch, mouthing the word 'Nicole.'

She seems to comprehend and leans her ear up against the couch cushion, just as Nicole's friend continues speaking.

"So what's next on your timeline?"

"Well, I think phase one, which was to get Tommy to trust me, is officially done. From here, I just need him to talk me up a bit. You know, tell Darius and all of his producer friends how talented I am. That way, by the time I actually get to do the demo, I'll already be a shoe-in."

"Do you think he'll do that?"

"Tommy will do anything I tell him to," Nicole answered smugly.

At her comment, I glance over towards Karma, who's furrowing her brow in a questioning way. She looks at me and I give her a quick nod to confirm that she actually understood correctly.

"And what about your day off? What you guys are going to do?"

"Listen to this," Nicole starts, the aggravation echoing in her voice, "Tommy actually offered to give Jude and that boyfriend of hers a ride."

"Oh…well, I guess that's nice of him…"

"Nice? No, it's not nice! It's my car!" Nicole exclaims.

I can't help but bite my lip to keep from laughing. Yeah right, she'd be happy to help.

Nicole continues, "So now instead of going to my parents' cabin like I planned for the two of us, I need to worry about dragging their butts around with us."

"Why can't you just drop them off at the bus stop or something?"

"He wouldn't let me," she answers with a groan. "It's like…even though there's nothing between him and Jude, he gets all…weird about her. Like he's always so over-protective."

I feel myself smile at the sound of her words. That's my Tommy.

"So now I have to take her with us. It's so annoying," Nicole complains. "I wanted to use the time in the car to get him to commit to a date to start my demo. And of course, to pretend to act interested when he talks about his lame life in Toronto."

Karma's jaw drops next to me but both of our ears remain glued to the couch.

"You can still do that," her friend suggests. "Hey, you know what would be really funny? If you two start making out in front of her."

I immediately make a disgusted look, to which Karma has to put a hand over her mouth to stop her laughter.

Nicole laughs, "That would be funny. She'll probably get all jealous and insist on leaving the car."

"Exactly!"

Giggling immediately resounds from behind the couch as Karma raises her brows at me. Okay, so that would make me annoyed. But now I'm going to act completely unflustered just so she doesn't get her way.

"Let's go outside," Nicole suggests as their laughter subsides. "I need to find him and make sure he's talking about me to the right people."

"Okay."

I quickly lie back down and throw my jacket over my head while Karma clings tightly to the couch, appearing to be asleep. Nicole and her friend continue to chat and don't even turn to look at us as they stand and make their way out to the porch.

"Oh my god, Jude," Karma says as we both sit up on the couch, looking at each other dazedly. "Did I seriously hear all of that correctly?"

"Yep. She's using Tommy to get a demo. I knew she was bad news, but this is beyond evil."

"What a bitch!" Karma exclaims. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Tell him?"

"Yes! You have to," she says firmly. "You can't let her get away with this!"

"I don't know, Karma," I tell her, resting back on the couch. "Sadie told me to mind my own business when it comes to him…"

"Mind your own business? Jude, you heard it first-hand. This _is_ your business now. You know what she's doing…don't you care about him at all?"

My eyes widen at her question. "Of course I do! But telling him that the girl he likes is completely lying to him…well, I don't know if I can do that…"

"You have to," she states decisively before standing up in front of me. "He trusts you. How can you not be honest with him?"

"Because it'll hurt him," I say quietly, feeling my anxiety become stronger.

Karma sighs and says, "Well, it's up to you. But I would tell him. He already has one person in his life lying to him. Do you think it's fair that you lie too?"

She flashes me a questioning look before turning around and walking away. I cover my eyes again with my hands and exhale loudly.

Great – now I've got one more problem to add to the list.


	20. Chapter 20

Hi everyone!! Thanks so much for all of your reviews for the last chapter. I love to hear what you think, especially about whether or not Jude should tell Tommy about Nicole. I can say that I've gone back and forth a lot on this too, but you'll see over the next couple of chapters what I decided she should do. :)

Bad news: I'm going away next weekend and probably won't have time to update before I leave. So I'll try to post the next chapter next sunday night or monday at the latest. But hopefully this chapter will hold you over until then.

Thanks again for your feedback! I love hearing your thoughts so please keep telling me! And ENJOY!

* * *

So I've made a decision. I'm not going to tell him. 

Or…maybe I will. Just not now.

Sadie was right – it's not my business. His relationship with Nicole is not my business.

Besides, I have my own issues to deal with. Like staying focused on my work.

"So, did you want them to start writing in groups?" Tommy asks from his chair on the porch.

"Sure, that's a good idea," I reply, not glancing up from the notebook in my hand. It was our off period and Tommy had surprisingly suggested that we work on the next few programs, a drastic change from his constant desire to spend all of his free time with Nicole.

He writes something in his own notebook as I continue scribbling in mine. I'm honestly not even sure what I'm writing now – it's really just a reason to not have to look directly into his eyes. The moment I do, I know I'll feel compelled to tell him the truth. And since he can read me like a book, he'll know that I'm hiding something. So avoidance has become my primary objective.

"And what about the instruments? Did you ask Speed if we could borrow some of them?" he asks.

"Yeah, I talked to him this morning. He said that we're welcomed to use everything except the cymbals, which apparently are part of his lesson tomorrow," I reply with a snicker.

"Cymbals?" Tommy repeats. "I can only wonder what their program is like…"

"I know," I reply, glancing upwards from my notebook. "I feel like they're using the cymbals to balance on their heads."

"I could picture that," Tommy agrees with a grin before looking back down at his notebook. "Okay, so that's five guitars, three keyboards, one violin, two basses…"

"And a partridge and a pear tree?" I ask with a smirk. "Don't forget the banjos."

"Right. Three banjos," he says, checking off his list in his notebook. "So I guess we're all set."

"I guess we are," I reply, glancing back down at my notebook. I flip through the pages to appear like I'm checking on something when he says,

"Jude?"

"Hm?"

"Is everything…okay?"

I instinctively look up, meeting his gaze, which of course is my downfall. Oh….now I feel all guilty. He really does seem concerned. You can see it in his expression. His brows are raised and his face is all scrunched up. It's kind of cute…yet distressing at the same time.

I quickly shake my head, returning my eyes to my notebook.

"Of course," I say. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know…it's just these last couple of days, you've seemed sort of…off," he says, his tone soft and gentle.

"I'm fine," I say positively, offering him a quick nod of confirmation.

"Are you sure? Because it seems like you're…holding back or something," he says tentatively.

My mind races to come up with something to say. He knows that everything is not okay and I know that he's not going to give up until I tell him what's bothering me.

"It's nothing…" I start, feeling my face flush in unease.

"What is it?" he asks, putting aside the notebook. "Come on…talk to me. What's going on?"

I sigh and open my mouth to speak, immediately saying the first thing that comes to mind.

"It's just…one of my campers," I start, suddenly feeling a newfound sense of direction. "Hailey. She's not happy here and isn't eating."

"She's not eating? Have you talked to her?" he asks.

"I tried," I say, "and she really seemed to respond. But I'm not sure if worked…she's barely touching any food during meals."

"That's not good," he mutters.

"I know," I agree, really starting to feel the compassion myself. "She's a great kid and I just feel like I haven't done a good job looking after her."

"Jude," he starts, leaning forward and putting his hand over mine, "you're not a trained professional. You've done the best you could."

"I know…I'm just not sure if it's enough…" I reply, looking downward at his hand on top of mine. I feel my heart beat a little faster just looking at it, though I attempt to focus on the topic being discussed.

"You can't blame yourself," he says, his voice low and his hand still on mine.

Oh god…is it wrong that I'm not only lying to him but actually enjoying it?

"Maybe you can try talking to the nurses?" he suggests, retreating slightly and moving his hand back into his own lap. Damn.

I sigh and reply, "I thought about that. But they treat physical illnesses…do you really think they could help a girl who misses home?"

"Well, it can't hurt by talking to them. They're not going to make it worse," he remarks.

I nod, considering his suggestion. "That's true."

"And if you need help," he says, "even if it's just someone to walk her to the infirmary, I'm here."

I can't help but look up at him at his words. He's totally serious. He wants to help. And now I feel guilty again. Although...this _is_ a real problem. I didn't make it up, it's just been over-exaggerated a bit. As in, Hailey has been eating. And she actually seems happier. But those are just unimportant details.

"Thanks," I say quietly with a small grin. "She _does_ like you. She's got posters of you hanging above her bed in the bunk."

Tommy smirks and leans back against his chair, resting his hands behind his head. "Yeah, well…they all do."

I immediately roll my eyes at his response. "Yes, but aren't those posters all from 1996?"

"Maybe," he answers vaguely.

"Okay…well, that would've made her four years old when she got them," I state knowingly with a grin. "So your picture was probably right next to Elmo's."

He smiles his cocky smile at me, shaking his head. "Very funny, Harrison. Although I must say, I'm impressed - I always thought you sucked at math."

"Shut up," I say, smacking his arm, not being able to help laughing lightly. He laughs a little in response, sitting back up in his chair and glancing down at his watch.

"Well, as much as I hate to end this discussion on how old I am and how young my fans are, it's time for seventh period," he says, grabbing his notebook and pen.

"Oh right. We have one more session today," I mutter, closing my notebook and packing up my things.

We both stand from our chairs and start to walk through the lounge to the exit. As we're walking, I can't resist teasing him more about his toddler fans. When we arrive at the rec hall, we're both laughing and attempting to trip each other on our way in.

As we stumble through the doorway, I look up towards the front of the room, not expecting to see anyone there. But standing before us are Josh and his lovely sister, Nicole.

Our laughter dies down as we both realize we have company. I watch Nicole smile at Tommy and I can automatically feel my stomach start to churn.

What are they doing here?

"Hey," Tommy says, as we approach the front of the room. I can tell he's surprised to see them too but gives Nicole a light kiss on the cheek before putting his notebook down.

"Hello," Josh says to both of us. "I know you two have one more class left today, but I thought I would come give you some good news."

"Good news?" I repeat, glancing between them. "You two want to start learning about songwriting?"

"Not exactly," Josh says. "I'm afraid I didn't inherit those genes like Nicole did. I only inherited the good looks."

He and Nicole laugh lightly and I'm suddenly starting to feel uncomfortable by their presence.

"What's going on?" I ask, my tone more serious.

"Don't worry, Jude," Nicole says, looking at me with her smug grin. Somehow, I know that now would be a good time to _start_ to worry.

"We've decided to change things up a bit," Josh says. "Instead of the primary counselors only being part of the other activities – sports, arts & crafts – we've decided to integrate them into the music programs as well."

I furrow my brows, clearly not following. He sees my expression and explains, "Starting tomorrow, some of our primary counselors are going to be assigned to music programs during the day. And you two are lucky enough to be assigned the greatest primary counselor we have. My sister, Nicole," he says, nodding towards Nicole.

WHAT??

"She's going to be with you all day to help keep the kids quiet, paying attention, and to make sure everyone's learning what they're supposed to," Josh explains.

"So…she's going to be in our program all day, every day?" I ask, my heart dropping.

"Yes! Isn't that great?" Nicole asks excitedly, looking directly at Tommy with a wide smile.

Instead of Tommy agreeing like I expect him to, he looks past Nicole to meet my gaze. I know he's reading my expression and can see the dread radiating from my eyes. And while he doesn't know the true reason for my reaction, his eyes are warm on mine, in almost a sympathetic way.

But he turns back towards Nicole and nods, simply saying, "That's great." He gives her a quick hug, letting his eyes wander back to mine until I turn away to process everything that's happening.

This has officially become my own worst nightmare.

Now, instead of mentally struggling with this secret I'm keeping from Tommy, I'll actually have to witness it before my own eyes. I'm going to have to watch them flirt and be affectionate, knowing that it's all one big lie. And I'm going to have to keep my mouth shut throughout it all to avoid hurting him.

How am I going to do this??

These songwriting sessions with Tommy have been my escape, my way of forgetting about the drama in my life and concentrating on what he and I do best. It's our common ground, it's what brings us together.

But now, it's all going to be ruined.

As the panic starts to settle into my system, I hear Josh start to speak again from behind me. "We thought it would make sense for Nicole to join this program since she's got musical talent herself. She'll have something to offer to your sessions."

Something to offer? You mean, besides her overly exposed cleavage?

"I'm really looking forward to this," Nicole says. "It'll be great."

I slowly turn around and plaster a smile on my face.

"It will be just fabulous," I say through gritted teeth.

Josh eyes me warily but then turns to grab his clipboard. "She'll be starting tomorrow, so you two can finish up today and then think about how you can best use her moving forward."

Oh, that'll be easy…I can think of a _zillion_ ways to use her. She'd make an awfully good garbage disposal. Or maybe a sewage tank.

Nicole gives Tommy a quick kiss and mumbles something about hanging out later, to which he nods and lets her go.

"I'll see you both tomorrow then," she says with a smile directed towards me.

I flash my overly enthusiastic grin and say, "Looking forward to it."

She then takes off with Josh, making their way across the room and finally out the door.

As I hear the door close, I sigh loudly and turn towards the front, putting my notebook and pen down in front of me.

I can feel Tommy's eyes on me, waiting for me to say something. But honestly, I don't even know where to start. If I begin talking, who knows where it'll take me and I need to be careful I don't say anything I shouldn't.

He walks over to stand beside me, his eyes still glued to me.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

I nod without looking at him, writing some scribble into my notebook. "Sure."

"It's not a big deal," he starts. "She's just going to be in the background to help the kids."

"Right," I say confidently, not looking up at him.

"Jude…this is _our_ program," he says, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him. "I don't know what you're thinking, but if it has anything to do with you being a third wheel or something, you don't have to worry. This isn't about me spending time with Nicole…it's about us teaching the kids to write songs."

A third wheel? I never really thought about it like that…although now I am. And that's not a very pretty picture.

I finally bring myself to look at him, trying to keep my eyes emotionless and my expression flat. "I know. I'm sure it will be fine."

He gazes at me doubtfully but releases my arm. Luckily, I hear the door open and the kids start to enter for our last session of the day. Without another word, I turn back towards the front in one last effort to compose myself before we begin the class.

But all I can think about is how awful it's going to be having Nicole there, watching us, every session.

This is going to be bad. Very bad.


	21. Chapter 21

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the delay with this update but I had a sudden burst of inspiration last week and ended up rewriting this section, which took a few extra days. Regardless, here is the next chapter.

Thanks again to everyone who has been reading and especially those who have been posting comments! You guys are all the best and keep me motivated, so thank you! Please keep letting me know what you think! Enjoy!

* * *

I open the can of Diet Coke that Speed has just handed to me, taking a moment to enjoy its sugary flavor before settling back on the couch. 

It's the night after the announcement about Nicole joining our songwriting program and I'm trying to relax and not get myself worked up over how my life is about to change. Instead, I'm sitting comfortably in the staff lounge with Karma and Speed, sipping a Diet Coke, and not listening to a single word they're saying.

"Jude? Jude?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are you right now? Did you not hear Speed's question?" Karma asks, glaring at me irritably.

"Sorry," I say, putting the soda down on the table in front of us. "What was your question?"

"I asked what you and the Jamers are planning to do for your day off," Speed replies.

At the risk of having a whole conversation on the disastrous situation I'm putting myself and Jamie into by riding home with Tommy and Nicole, I instantly decide to be vague.

"Oh, well, that hasn't really been decided yet," I say, stumbling over my words. "We might be heading home, I'm not sure. What about you guys?"

"We're going to drive up towards the mountains and…" Karma starts, glancing around her before lowering her voice to a whisper, "get a hotel room."

My expression immediately changes into one of amusement. "So…you're spending your day off…in a hotel room?"

"Not just the hotel, dude," Speed says, directed more towards Karma than me. "We're going to go hiking and ride horses. It's all…natural up there."

I turn towards Karma with my brows raised. "_You_ are going to hike and ride horses?"

She smirks and shakes her head. "No way. That's why I only mentioned the room. Because that is where I'll be."

I laugh lightly at her response, but Speed eyes her skeptically. "We'll see about that," he says, wiggling his brows.

"Anyway…Jude," Karma says, ignoring Speed's comment and turning her attention towards me, "any news with the devil girl?"

"Devil girl?" Speed repeats questioningly.

"Yes…you know," Karma replies, giving him a hard glare, "the girl we talked about last night…the one who's dating a certain co-instructor of Jude's songwriting program…"

"You told him?" I ask, glancing between the two of them.

"Jude, it's Speed. Who's he going to tell?" Karma asks with an air of innocence.

"Ummm...Kyle? Wally?" I question in response.

"Dude, chill," Speed says to me. "The only way Kyle and Wally would care about what you two heard is if Nicole was naked at the time."

"Good point," I agree, sighing to myself before continuing. "The situation actually took a turn for the worse today."

"Worse? How can it possibly be worse?" Karma asks, her eyes growing wide. "Did you tell Tommy and he freaked out?"

"No," I quickly dismiss. "Nicole is officially joining our songwriting program until the end of the summer."

"What?" Karma asks in confusion, a reaction that slowly turns into understanding. "Oh my god…is she the primary counselor assigned to songwriting??"

I nod in response. "Isn't my luck just perfect?"

"What are you going to do?" Karma asks, her eyes softening in worry for me. She seems almost more concerned than I am about this.

"What _can_ I do?" I ask in response. "It's basically going to be a slow, painful torture, but I really have no choice."

Karma pauses for a moment before muttering, "Maybe you can use it to your advantage."

I tilt my head at her, unsure of what she means. "For what?"

A grin slowly emerges on her face along with an evil glint in her eye and I immediately begin to feel scared. Whatever she's thinking can't be good.

"Well…it just seems like the perfect opportunity to expose her little scheme."

"How?" I ask, immediately intrigued yet extremely hesitant.

"Jude," Karma says, fully turning towards me, "you've got to think like she does. She's manipulative and conniving. So maybe you should be too."

"Okay…but what will that accomplish?" I ask, clearly still not catching on.

I can tell her mind is racing before she starts talking again. "Well, you know how she said that she wants to make sure that Tommy is talking her up to the right people? His producer friends?"

I nod, remembering Nicole's comment, as Karma's grin becomes wider and the pieces start to come together in her mind.

"Well, wouldn't _you_ be one of those people?" she asks. "You _are_ a producer. Not to mention a multi-platinum selling artist, songwriter, and someone that Tommy trusts."

Hmmmm…I hadn't really thought about it like that…

"Jude, _you_ should be one of those people that she wants to get in with. She should want your help and support for her singing career."

"Okay…I guess I can see your point, but why would I want to be someone whose butt she kisses?"

"Because, once she realizes that she needs you, she'll be like putty in your hands," Karma says, still smiling and leaning back on the couch.

"Okay, you're seriously freaking me out now," Speed interrupts, eyeing Karma distrustfully. "Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"

"Oh Speedy," Karma says, turning back towards him and grabbing his hand. "I'm just trying to help Jude. It's all for the benefit of the greater good."

Wow, she's good. That angelic smile has returned and I can tell that Speed is totally buying it.

"So," I start, turning the attention back onto me, "what you're saying is…you want me to play nice with her? I'm supposed to help her and…actually appear to like her and her music?"

"That's the plan," Karma confirms. "You know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Hmmm…an interesting point.

"So, we become friends. How does that lead to Tommy finding out about her plan?"

"Well, if you two are friends, you can get her to open up about her plans for a demo…and then we can get Tommy to overhear it," Karma suggests.

"_We?_" Speed and I repeat back to her at the same time.

"Of course," she offers with a sweet smile. "I'll help you."

Why do I get the feeling that this is no longer just about my situation?

"Right…so what exactly do you want from me in return?" I ask immediately, sniffing her bluff.

"What do I want from you?" she repeats, feigning surprise and ignorance. "Oh, well, I never thought of that…"

She's totally lying. She's pretending to think to herself, while I simply roll my eyes and wait for her to request whatever favor it is that she needs.

"You know," she starts quietly, "when we get back to Toronto, I'd hate to see my producer spending too much time with anyone other than me."

"You want Tommy?" I ask in confusion.

"Not like _that_, Jude," Karma clarifies, smiling reassuringly at Speed. "Just for my album. I want his focus to be with me and my work. Now that you two are all friendly again, I just want to make sure his priorities are straight."

"So…you want him to work more on your album than on mine?" I ask, making sure I understand.

"Precisely," she responds.

She must be an idiot because Tommy hasn't worked on my album in months. Kwest is my producer…although I will admit, the thought _did_ cross my mind to swap them out. But regardless, this sounds like a request I can manage.

I nod in agreement, bringing my hand out to meet hers. "It's a deal."

"Great!" she replies, shaking my hand.

"So," I start, taking another sip of my soda, "how do we do this?"

Karma smiles her devious grin and leans forward to start telling me exactly how she plans on bringing Nicole's secret out into the open.

- - -

On my way to the rec hall the next morning, I'm feeling a weird mix of excitement and nervousness. Karma's plan is truly genius, but I can't help but think that I might not be convincing enough to pull it off. Tommy always sees right through me – he has this sixth sense about me and lying. But I have to stay focused on the task at hand…and I'll just continue to avoid him as much as possible.

I open the front door and hear quiet voices off in the distance. As I walk closer towards the entrance to the main room, the voices get louder and I can tell that they're coming from a male and a female, who distinctly sound like Tommy and Nicole.

I take a deep breath and walk fully into the room, spotting the two of them standing at the front, near the stage. Tommy is arranging the instruments along the edge of the stage while Nicole is attached to his side, holding the edge of his shirt and giggling into his ear.

Okay, I am now officially revolted.

I can't do this. I can't act like her friend. I can't be happy for them. What was I thinking?

Just…smile. Smile and look happy. Think of Karma. Think of her scheme. Think of poor Tommy. Think of Nicole's face as she realizes that Tommy knows her secret.

I put on my widest grin and proceed to walk towards them. They both look up as my footsteps draw closer, interrupting their moment of flirtation.

"Morning," I say, hearing the high pitch of my own voice. I quickly clear my throat to cover my over-enthusiasm, placing my bag on the edge of the stage near the instruments.

"Morning," Tommy replies, his eyes following me for a moment before he continues to organize the instruments.

Remembering my plan for Nicole, I smile gently in her direction and ask sweetly, "How was your night last night?"

She shrugs, her eyes glancing at me before returning to Tommy. "Fine."

"That's good," I say, watching her take a step towards him. He's obviously trying to finish organizing everything before the kids get there and she's obviously trying to distract him. He's not being very responsive and I can tell he's starting to get a little frustrated by his slightly tightened jaw.

"So," I start, attempting to help him by getting her attention back on me, "I was talking to Kwest last night and he mentioned that you have a really great voice, Nicole."

Her eyes immediately widen and she turns in my direction, excitement written all over her face. "He did?"

"Yeah," I agree with a quick nod. I can see Tommy peak his head in curiosity but resume his organization process.

I casually take out my notebook from my backpack and say, "So I started thinking about how I've never heard you sing before."

"Oh…well, not many people have," Nicole says timidly, her eyes lingering back to Tommy. "I mean, it's not like I'm some international superstar or anything."

"Not yet, at least," Tommy volunteers, offering her a sideways grin.

"Right," she says in response with a small smile.

I immediately want to roll my eyes but decide against it in order to keep my demeanor positive.

"Well maybe we can change that," I say, leaning back against the stage. "Maybe I could hear you sing sometime."

She thinks for a few moments, her eyes darting to Tommy, who turns around and looks at me questioningly. Crap. Does he think it's weird I've taken a sudden interest in his girlfriend? Or that I'm being so nice? Crap. I need to say something – fast.

"I'm just curious," I say innocently, my eyes on his briefly, before turning away and taking a pen out of my bag.

Without glancing upwards at either of them, I then say the line I know will make them both convinced.

"If she's really that good, maybe we could get her into the studio."

I raise one eye up to gauge their reaction to my words and I see them looking at each other, Nicole's eyes wide in anticipation.

Before he has a chance to doubt my over-friendliness, Nicole's voice resounds throughout the room. "That would be great!"

"Great," I say, turning back towards her to see her eager expression. "What off period do you have today?"

"Fifth," she says quickly, not even bothering to look at Tommy.

"That's perfect – me too. Do you want to maybe get together for a bit? I can hear you sing and maybe give you some feedback," I offer.

"That sounds great," she says, her voice clearly echoing her enthusiasm.

"Great," I say in agreement, noticing that Tommy has stopped organizing the instruments and is now glancing between the two of us incredulously.

"It's a date," I finish, turning back around and avoiding Tommy's intense gaze in my direction.

Before he has a chance to openly question me, the front door to the building opens and I hear voices start to get louder as the kids arrive for our first class.

I sigh in relief as the thirty kids enter the room and start sitting on the floor before us. As I turn around to begin the class, a small smile grazes over my face as the realization sets in that Operation Expose-Nicole has officially been set into action.


	22. Chapter 22

Hi guys! I hope you all are excited for the holidays - I am, mainly because I'm off from work this week! Which will hopefully mean lots of time to write.

In honor of the holidays, I have a new chapter for all of you. I didn't actually plan on including the scene where Nicole sings for Jude - I was just going to reference it in other scenes - but since a bunch of you posted about it, I decided to write it. And surprisingly, I kind of like how it turned out. It makes me laugh, which is usually a good sign. I'm actually happy with how this whole chapter turned out, so I hope you like it too.

Of course, I own nothing. And I definitely don't own Whitney Houston or any of her songs (which I like more than Jude does).

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! Happy holidays! Enjoy!

* * *

I sit on a chair in the staff lounge, holding my bottle of water and waiting to begin. I glance upwards as Nicole fidgets with her too-low cut tank top, pulling it up a bit so that her cleavage isn't overly distracting. Granted, her cleavage will be the last thing on my mind when she finally gets around to singing, but I let her adjust it regardless.

I quickly glimpse around the room, seeing the empty chairs and closed sign on the door of the staff store. It's currently fifth period and about 3:00 in the afternoon, so Nicole and I are the only ones here. And judging by the way she's still fidgeting with her shirt, I'd say it's probably good that the whole camp won't have to deal with this performance anyway.

"Ready when you are," I say, hoping to move things along.

"Okay," she says, finally leaving the shirt alone. She actually looks…nervous. All of a sudden, she seems to be sweating and her face is flushed. Hmmm…maybe Karma was right. Maybe I do have more influence in this industry than I thought.

"What are you singing?" I ask.

"It's a Whitney Houston song – 'The Greatest Love of All,'" she says, before adding, "I use it for _all_ of my auditions."

Auditions…hmmm…interesting. Is that what this is?

"Okay, great. I love that song," I lie. This is one of the cheesiest songs I've ever heard. Not to mention the fact that it's sung by Whitney Houston, one of the top-selling artists of all time. No matter how good she is, Nicole will never be _that_ good. Would this be the song I would pick? Hell no.

"Ready?" she asks, still appearing nervous.

"Yep," I confirm, sitting back and bracing myself for whatever is to come.

She clears her throat before opening her mouth and very quietly, starts singing.

"I believe the children are our future…"

As much as I want to concentrate on her actual singing, I can't help but think about how ironic these lyrics are coming from her. They sound so…forced. So not her. Does she really believe the children are our future? Only if the children are wearing Prada and offering her a million dollar recording contract.

"Everybody's searching for a hero…"

She continues singing and I force myself to pay attention to the quality of her voice. It's not…_bad_…per se. It's kind of…soft. And timid. But hey, maybe she'll be like Whitney and belt out a huge dramatic chorus.

"I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows…"

Okay, she got a little louder there. She seems a bit more confident. Her voice is…well, decent. It's not blow-you-away-amazing, but she's got some talent. She's hitting most of the notes and actually seems to believe the lyrics she's singing…although I guess that's just acting, which clearly, she is good at.

"I believe the children are our future…"

I wonder what Tommy really thinks of her singing. He brags about how great she is, but is she really _that_ good? I mean, I could totally see her as one of those performers on a cruise ship…she could dance around in a ridiculous sequin costume with a sailor's cap singing some Shirley Temple song. But a recording contract? I'm not so sure.

"Find your strength…in love…."

She finishes the song and draws out that last note for so long I think she's going to turn blue. But I wait for her to finally end it, releasing her breath, and I clap. Not because she's that incredible, but because I feel like I should.

"So…what did you think?" she asks, taking a seat on the couch.

"You were…good," I say, faltering over the word but making sure to sound positive when it came out.

"Yeah?" she asks uncertainly. "I know I messed up the lyrics in the bridge and I kind of cracked during that last chorus, but I swear I don't usually do that."

"I believe you," I state. I'm laughing in my head. Yeah, like I believe her about anything.

"It sounded good. Really," I say more emphatically.

She smiles at me and says, "Thanks. Do you have any pointers or anything you think I should work on? Tommy tells me I'm perfect, but I guess it's good to have multiple opinions."

Tommy tells you you're perfect?! This is Tommy - Mr. Perfectionist! Now I'm certain – she must be drugging him.

"Ummm…well," I start hesitantly, "has anyone ever taught you how to breathe through your diaphragm?"

She looks confused for a moment before shaking her head. "No. I don't think so."

"Okay, well that's one thing I would work on. When you take a breath between lines of the song, it sounds like you're gasping. But when you breathe through your diaphragm, it forces you to pace yourself so you never sound out of breath."

"Really? Can you show me how to do it?" she asks, looking at me pleadingly.

I pause for a moment, knowing that what I'm about to do is going to impact more than just her singing. If I can get her to understand and agree to this one simple thing, she's going to be more willing to listen to me. And trust me. Which is the key to this whole plan working.

I smile and nod, scooting over so I can show her exactly what I mean.

- - -

I arrive alone at the rec hall for sixth period, seeing Tommy standing there waiting for me.

"Hey," I say, approaching him.

"Where's Nicole?" he asks.

"She had to take one of her campers to get a package at the office," I explain. "She'll be here in a few minutes."

He nods in understanding, crossing his arms and looking at me closely.

Oh no. He wants to talk. He's got that serious look on his face and it's aimed directly at me.

Stay calm. Don't panic. Just…avoid eye contact.

"So," he starts, leaning back against the stage, "how was your off period?"

Crap.

"Oh…it was good," I say quietly, putting my bag on the floor and turn my back to him.

"Did she sing for you?" he asks directly.

"Yeah," I reply, keeping my back towards him. Now would be a really good time for the kids to show up for our next class.

"And what did you think?" he asks, his voice a little softer.

I take a deep breath and turn around towards him. "She's pretty good."

"Pretty good?" he repeats with an edge of disbelief.

"Well," I start, immediately feeling defensive about his reaction, "it's not like she's Celine Dion or anything. She's good. She just needs a little fine-tuning."

He gives a small nod, thinking to himself before taking a step closer to me. "And you're actually going to help her?"

I cock my head at him, slightly affronted by his blatant skepticism of my offer. "Yes. She asked if I would give her some pointers, help her with her range and breathing. So yeah, I agreed."

"And why would you want to do that?" he asks, stepping closer to me, his suspicion more obvious.

I shrug and glance towards the door. Please let the kids show up. Please let the kids show up.

"Why not," I respond vaguely. "I don't have a problem with her."

He smirks at my response, saying distrustfully, "Really? Since when?"

"Since always," I lie. "I just never really gave her a chance."

He shakes his head, now only standing inches away from me. "I don't buy it, Harrison. You obviously had issues with her just days ago. She called you by the wrong name, remember?"

Oh, I almost forgot about that.

But it doesn't matter anymore. I have larger issues with her now.

"Yeah, I remember…but that's not really a reason to walk around hating her, right?" I question.

He narrows his eyes at me, trying really hard to read me.

Keep your expression flat. No emotion. He can't read your mind. He doesn't know you're lying through your teeth.

"What are you up to, Jude Harrison?" he asks quietly, his eyes intensely focused on mine.

Feeling the sweat start to form along my hairline, I roll my eyes and take a step backwards. "Oh stop. I'm actually being nice to one of your girlfriends and you doubt me. Am I not a nice person?"

"Sometimes," he replies with a grin. "Just not with any of my previous girlfriends."

"Can you blame me?" I scoff in response. "Let's see…there was Noreen, the gymnast whose only words of English were the lyrics to 'Pick Up the Pieces'…and then Dawn, who thought that Vancouver was the 51st state in the US…"

"Okay, you got me," he says, hands in the air in defeat. "Maybe my girlfriend selection hasn't always been the best…but I've never seen you actually give any of them a chance."

"It's not a big deal," I say casually. "I'm just helping her with her music. Besides, don't you want me to be friends with your girlfriends?"

"Depends on what you tell them about me," he responds quickly with a half grin.

"Oh Quincy," I say with a smile, walking up behind him and putting my hand on his back, "I'm sure Nicole isn't interested in hearing about how long it takes you to do your hair, or how many times you check yourself out in the mirror, or—"

"Okay," he cuts me off with an eye roll. "So I care about my appearance. Sue me. It's not like Nicole is exactly low maintenance."

I look at him with my mouth gaped. "Did you just call your girlfriend high maintenance?"

"No, I just—"

"Because I'm sure she would _love_ to hear about that," I say with a smirk.

"You wouldn't," he threatens, a glint in his eye.

I shrug. "Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't."

"Jude," he starts, looking at me earnestly, as I flash an evil grin and take a step away towards the stage.

I hear the door open and the kids start to trickle in as he walks closer to me. "Harrison – don't tell her. Please, for me. She's going to kick my ass."

"And that will be fun for me," I reply with a wide smile at him.

Without warning, he grabs me and spins me around so that he's behind me. He holds me close with one hand, while the other hand goes straight to my side and starts to tickle me. I immediately squeal at his actions and I hear him laugh at my reaction.

I twist myself around, trying to break free of his grip. But he's holding me steady and continuing to torture me. I'm hunched over in a fit of laughter and he's leaning over me, repeatedly tickling me exactly where he knows will get to me.

His laughter quiets down and he finally mutters what I know he's going to say.

"Do you promise not to say anything?"

In response, I just laugh more, unable to speak coherently. He continues to tickle me even more, his grip tight around my waist.

"Harrison—do you promise?" he threatens again, trying to be intimidating and conceal his own snicker.

Before I can yell out my answer, someone behind us loudly clears their throat, drawing both of our attention.

At the sound, I feel Tommy's hands ease up on me. He stops tickling me and we both glance over to see all of the eleven year-olds sitting on the floor before us, watching our little scene. But next to the kids stands Nicole, with her arms crossed and an irate expression on her face.

Crap.

Tommy releases me and takes a step away, as I stand up straight and attempt to regain composure. I feel myself blush, the temperature in the room suddenly increasing.

"Are you done?" Nicole asks curtly. "Because your class is ready."

Crap, crap, crap. This is bad. Really bad.

The plan was to become friends with her, not flirt with her boyfriend! Stupid Jude! Although he was the one who started it. He flirted with me. And it's not like I enjoyed it. Okay…maybe I did. Just a little.

I clear my throat and feel my heart start to beat incredibly fast, as I nod at her.

"Sorry…we were just—"

"Let's just start, okay?" she asks, glancing between us angrily.

I nod again and glance over at Tommy, who looks like he's seen a ghost. If he thought she was going to be upset over the high maintenance comment, now she's really going to kick his ass.

His eyes drift over to me apologetically, to which I offer a small grin and turn back towards the front of the room.

"Right. Sorry everyone. If you could just pull out your notebooks, I think we're ready to start," I say, trying to forget what just happened and focus on the class.

I see Nicole take a seat at the side of the room, her arms still crossed and her expression looking like she might explode.

Crap. I'm a dead woman.


	23. Chapter 23

Hi everyone! Happy New Year!

Here is the next chapter. There are 3 separate scenes in this chapter, all occurring in the same day (the day after Nicole sees the jommy tickle-fest). I hope it's not too choppy, but I needed to include everything in order to keep the story moving. I'm not totally thrilled with how it all came out, but hopefully you'll like it.

Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! I love seeing what you all think...especially of Nicole, lol. It's fun to see how much you all dislike her, which is good, since that was my intention. :) Please keep letting me know your thoughts!

Italics in the beginning are a flashback. That's it...Enjoy!

* * *

I wake up the next morning to hear the music blasting over the loudspeaker. I still cannot get used to the early mornings and lack of caffeine – I just don't think my body was intended to wake up before 10.

As I begin to come to my senses, I hear Karma's voice ringing in my head, reiterating her scolding from last night.

"_Jude, how could you!" Karma exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air._

"_I'm sorry…it just kind of happened…"_

"_Didn't you think about what you were doing? That Nicole could walk in at any time and see the two of you engaged in some bizarre full-contact sport?"_

"_It was just tickling," I clarified. "It's not like he tackled me to the floor."_

"_Jude," she started again, her arms crossed and her gaze stern, "Don't you want our plan to work? Don't you want to see Nicole go down?"_

"_Of course I do."_

"_Then you need to be more careful. Keep your eye on the prize. And stay at least ten feet away from Tommy at all times."_

"_Ten feet? Isn't that a little extreme?" I questioned with raised brows._

"_Extreme is necessary in this situation. You need to prioritize if you want the plan to work. And right now, the focus should be on her – not him."_

Still lying in bed, I sigh, thinking about her words, knowing that she's right. Tommy is the priority in the long run – this whole scheme is to protect him – but at the moment, I need to make things right with Nicole. This plan needs to work so we can all be done with her for good.

As I resolve to talk to her, I lazily sit up in my bed yawning and stretching. My eyes focus a bit more and I look across the aisle to see Amy's empty bed in front of me.

Crap. It's her day off.

I'm all alone for the whole day with ten kids, one conniving girlfriend who hates me, and an innocent co-instructor. Well, sort of innocent.

Panic begins to settle in on me as I force myself up and out of bed. Amy usually gets the kids up and ready for breakfast, but since I'm alone, that would be my job.

I walk slowly to the other side of the cabin where the kids are all still asleep, clear my throat, and yell,

"Time to get up!!"

A couple of them appear startled, shooting up in bed completely confused.

"Jude?" I hear from the back of the bunk.

I walk down the aisle to see Jessica's sleepy figure propped up on her bed.

"Yeah?" I ask as I approach her.

"Why are you up so early?"

I can't help but snicker at her question. These kids know me so well.

"It's Amy's day off today. So it's just me."

"Great!" she says, her eyes opening wider. "Can we just skip breakfast then?"

"Ummm, no," I reply, peeling her comforter off of her bed. "We are going to be on time today for everything, including breakfast."

Jessica grumbles, but gets out of bed regardless.

- - -

Half an hour later, I'm sitting at the breakfast table, counting heads around the table to make sure all of the kids are there. Because it would be bad if I forgot one. Like, really bad.

"Morning," I hear beside me. I look over to see Jamie crouching down next to me.

"Hi," I respond, finishing my counting.

"So I just heard a nasty rumor," he starts, cocking his head at me. "We're going on our day off with Tommy and Nicole?"

I immediately feel the temperature in the room begin to rise.

Crap. I forgot to tell him.

In fact, I haven't told him about anything that's been going on with me, Tommy, and Nicole. But I'm still technically dating him, which means I pretty much suck as a girlfriend.

"Ummm…well…it's a possibility," I say, grabbing a bagel from the bowl in front of me and shoving a piece of it in my mouth to avoid further questioning.

"A possibility?" he repeats with raised brows. "Because I was under the impression that sharing a compact vehicle with the two of them would only be a _possibility_ on another planet."

I swallow the piece of bagel with a cough, desperately trying to come up with an excuse that will appease him. He hates Tommy and I'm supposed to hate Nicole. Why did I agree to this again?

"Jude, please tell me what's going on." I can tell that he's trying to keep his voice calm, but the idea of sharing a car with Tommy is killing him. And frankly, at this moment, it's killing me too.

I sigh in defeat.

"Okay," I say, looking at him in the eye. "They _might've_ offered to give us a ride. And I _might've_ said that we would be interested…and…well…"

"You took them up on it?" Jamie finishes.

"Sort of," I mumble quietly.

I watch his eyes drift downward and his head shake slightly. He actually looks disappointed in me – not upset or mad, just disappointed. Which is much worse than mad.

"I'm sorry," I say quickly, "It's just that they were trying to be nice and I didn't want to miss out on a chance to get home on our day off."

He sighs in response and looks up at me.

"Jude, I know you're still…_thinking_…about the two of us, but it would've been nice to have been consulted in this decision," he states gently.

Guilt washes over me as I look at his sincere gaze.

"I'm sorry," I say quietly. "We can make other arrangements if you want."

He takes a few moments to think to himself before sighing and shaking his head. "No, it's fine. It's just transportation, right?"

"Right," I confirm quietly, my mind starting to wander. Yes, it's just transportation, but it might also be a chance to bond with Nicole…although how will I possibly explain to Jamie why I'm being so nice to her? Do I tell him about my plan with Karma? What will he think of me?

"Jude?"

I hear his voice and quickly snap out of my inner thoughts. "Sorry…I was just thinking...umm...maybe we can create a barricade of laundry between the front and back seat so we don't have to talk to them."

He smirks at my suggestion, his expression finally appearing to be more at ease.

He stands and gives me a kiss on the cheek. "I've got to jet before Josh calls me out over the loud speaker again. We'll talk more later, ok?"

"Ok," I agree as he quickly retreats to his table in the back of the room.

As he walks away, I sigh loudly, my mind racing to figure out how to handle this. But as I look up at the table, I notice that all of the girls are intently watching me.

"What? Do I have jelly on my face or something?" I ask.

"Are you and Tommy spending your day off together?" Karly asks bluntly.

"Ummm…sort of," I reply, grabbing an orange from the plate next to me. "We're just driving home together."

"So you, Tommy, Nicole and Jamie are all going together?" Jessica asks. "Wow…that sounds like a recipe for disaster to me."

"Oh stop," I say with an eye roll. "We're all adults in that car. We'll be fine."

As the words leave my mouth, I immediately know they're untrue. But I can't set a bad example for my campers and say that Jamie will be fighting with Tommy while Nicole and I will be kissing each others' asses…which will be followed by Jamie and I fighting, Nicole making out with Tommy, and then me vomiting all over the backseat.

"Okay," Jessica replies skeptically. "I just hope you make it back here alive. Being thrown out of a car doesn't sound like a pleasant way to go."

The girls all start giggling at her comment as I grin menacingly at her.

"You know, Jessica," I say, "I think we need to get you a boyfriend. That way, you can focus more on your own issues instead of mine."

"But yours are so much more fun," Jessica says with a wry smile.

- - -

Of course, it's raining on the one day that I'm in charge. After walking the kids back to the bunk to get their rain gear and then bringing them to their respective activities, I finally head over to the rec hall for songwriting. I know that I'm running a few minutes late, but I'm pretty sure that Nicole's not crying over my absence.

I feel my heart pounding in my chest and Karma's words echoing in my ear as I open the front door. Nicole is standing beside Tommy at the front of the room, while our group of fourteen year-olds is quietly seated on the floor before them.

"Sorry I'm late," I mutter, before crossing the room towards the front, leaving a trail of water as I drag my umbrella with me.

"No problem," Tommy responds, briefly glancing at me before turning back towards the kids. "As I was saying, we're going to continue with the group writing today. By the end of the day, your song should be finished and ready to be performed for the class tomorrow. Any questions?"

The kids shake their heads and Tommy nods in approval. "Great. Then let's get started. Jude, Nicole, and I will be coming around to check on your progress, so let us know if you need anything."

As he finishes, the kids break off into groups and begin to work. Tommy turns around and glances between Nicole and I, who are both leaning against opposite sides of the stage.

He uneasily clears his throat before saying, "So…umm…one of my campers came down with some kind of sickness this morning. He needs to go to the infirmary and since my primary counselor is on his day off…would either of you mind if I take him now?"

He's suggesting leaving us alone? Is he nuts??

On second thought, this could be a good opportunity to make nice with Nicole. It could be easier without him here, listening to me, and shooting me questioning glares.

"Go," I say. "We'll cover things."

"You sure?" he asks, his brows raised.

"Yes," I declare. I offer him a grin in confirmation, to which he looks towards Nicole for her approval.

"It's fine," she states, turning towards the stage and flipping through a magazine.

At her words, he says quickly, "I'll be back," and then retreats across the room and out the door into the rain.

As he leaves, I look over towards Nicole and take a deep breath.

I need to do this. For Tommy.

I slowly start walking towards her. "So, how are the breathing exercises going?"

"They're going," she replies, her eyes focused on the latest issue of Talk Weekly.

"Nicole," I say, trying my best to sound sincere, "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I didn't want you to think I was…infringing on your territory or anything."

She smirks at my apology. Not exactly the reaction I was going for.

"Whatever, Jude. You and Tommy are none of my business," she states in a matter-of-fact tone.

Increase the desperation, Jude. Make her believe you.

"I know, but I really don't want you thinking that there's anything going on between us," I say, imagining how Karma would say this. "Tommy and I are just friends."

She glances up at me and is trying to read my expression. I use my best puppy dog eyes, trying to appear as pathetic as possible.

She shakes her head doubtfully and says, "Girls and guys cannot be _just_ friends."

"Oh, well, Tommy and I…we are. I mean, we sort of dated briefly, but it totally didn't work," I say, greatly over-exaggerating the decline of our relationship. "We're truly just good friends and I just…didn't want you to get the wrong idea."

She turns back towards her magazine and shrugs, muttering, "It doesn't matter."

"It does though," I say, taking one more step towards her, smelling her cheap perfume.

I need to get her to think about herself again, about her future, and my important role in it. So I add, "I really liked working with you yesterday and I think with a little guidance, you could become an amazing artist. I don't want you to think I'm not…on your side."

I stumble over the last few words, knowing that they are completely a lie. Part of me feels bad for lying, but then again, it's Nicole, the queen of deception.

She looks at me, trying again to read my expression, which I attempt to keep sad and pitiable.

"I was thinking that maybe we could meet again this afternoon to work on those exercises. I have seventh period off," I propose hesitantly.

She sighs, visibly considering my offer.

Finally, she says, "Okay. We can meet again for my music. But just for the record, Tommy is happy with me. So don't get any ideas."

I feign shock, my mouth flying open and my hand going to my chest. "I wouldn't dare."

"Good," she says firmly. "Then yes, I'd like to meet again. Seventh period sounds great."

At that, I nod and walk silently back towards the other side of the stage, a small grin emerging on my face.

I'm good. Karma would be proud.


	24. Chapter 24

Hi all - so I know I suck for taking so long to post. I'm really sorry about the wait. This chapter isn't hugely eventful, but there are a few details that are important for upcoming scenes, so I needed to make sure everything was right. I will say that some of my favorite scenes are coming in the next few chapters, so while this chapter is a bit of a filler, there's plenty of drama coming soon!

Thanks to everyone for sticking with this stry and for all of your reviews! Enjoy!

* * *

I'm sprawled out on the couch in the staff lounge later that night, with my hands over my eyes. I feel a headache brewing as scenes of the past day with a group of unruly thirteen year-old girls flash before me.

"What's got your panties in a knot?" I hear, as the weight of the couch shifts and Karma sits down.

"Kids," I answer simply, keeping my hands over my eyes.

She scoffs in response and says, "Don't I know it. After this summer, I think I've decided to get my tubes tied."

I sigh and sit up, running my hands through my hair, needing to get out my frustration.

"Today was Amy's day off. No big deal, right? Wrong. I made four trips to the office for packages, broke up three fights over shower order, cleaned the whole bunk after a game of mud soccer in the rain, and managed to successfully piss off all ten of my campers."

Karma smirks, saying, "Sounds like a normal day in my book."

I shake my head, looking down at my lap. "They all hate me."

She gazes at me in confusion. "And how is that different from everyone else?"

I narrow my eyes at her. "Funny."

"Pssh," Karma replies with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about them. They're thirteen – who cares what they think? More importantly, did you make nice with Miss Nicole today?"

"Yes," I grumble.

"Good," she says with a satisfactory grin.

I sigh and begin to stand up. "I think I'm just going to go to bed. This day has been long enough."

"Ok," she says, standing too. "But tomorrow, we need to talk about your car ride with the two of them. Our day off is only in two days, so you need to be prepared."

I nod lightly. "Right…my car ride from hell. How could I forget?"

Karma ignores my comment and instead runs off towards Speed. I sigh and begin walking through the staff lounge towards the door, when Sadie suddenly emerges in front of me.

"Jude," she says, grabbing my arm, "I'm glad I found you."

"Hey Sadie," I say dimly, the exhaustion emanating from my voice. "Look, I'd love to talk, but I'm really tired—"

"Jude, I just got a call from Girl's Camp. There's a problem at your bunk," she says quickly.

"What? What kind of problem?" I ask, my eyes widening.

"Someone's sick," she says.

"Sick?" I repeat. "What kind of sick? Who is it?"

"I don't know. I just got a call from Erin, the counselor who's on duty tonight. They need you to go back there now."

I take a deep breath, my exhaustion dissipating and panic setting in.

---

I run like lightening to my bunk, bursting open the front door to see the kids huddled in the back near the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" I ask, walking quickly through the aisle towards them.

Without a word, Jessica points to the first toilet stall, her face contorted in a look of disgust. My heart starts pounding, bracing myself to see something horrible as the girls step out of the way to let me in.

I nervously open the door to the stall, peering inside. But sitting on the floor in front of the toilet is Karly, breathing heavily. Feeling my presence, she slowly turns around to look at me.

My heart instantly breaks at the sight of her. Her skin is pale and moist from sweat. Her eyes are blood-shot and it looks as though she's been crying. Her hair is in a jumbled pony-tail on top of her head, some of it hanging over her face.

"Karly," I say, crouching down to her level. My hand goes to her face, where I brush some of her hair out of her eyes and feel her head. "Are you okay?"

She offers a shake of her head in response, her breathing still heavy.

Her head is definitely warm and I can tell just by looking at her that she's far from okay.

"Is it your stomach?" I ask soothingly.

She nods at me. "It's everything," she says, her voice raspy.

"Okay. Do you think you can make it to the infirmary?" I ask quietly.

"I'm not sure…" she says distantly, her eyes glazed over. She's starting to shiver a little and I can tell she really needs help.

"Stay here for one minute, okay?" I ask gently, before standing up and heading back towards the other girls.

I walk quickly to Jessica, who's still standing near the entrance to the bathroom, and ask, "Would you mind looking for one of her sweatshirts? She's got the chills and she'll need something heavier when we go to the infirmary."

"Sure," she agrees with a nod.

"Thanks," I say. "I'll be back in one second. I just need to talk to the counselor next door."

I walk up the aisle towards the door, while Jessica rushes over to Karly's shelves and begins rummaging through the piles to find a sweatshirt.

Five minutes later, I've arranged for the counselor next door to watch my bunk and I'm walking Karly towards the infirmary. I'm attempting to hold her upright but she keeps saying she's dizzy and needs to stop. I let her rest but then push her to keep going…the faster she gets there, the faster she'll feel better. And the faster I'll be able to feel my right arm again.

As we stumble into the infirmary, I have to readjust my eyes to the dim lighting and quiet setting. We walk through the lobby into the main room and I bring Karly to the nearest chair, helping her sit down. As she settles into the seat, I look up to see a motherly looking nurse with short gray hair and glasses gazing down at us.

"She does not look good," the nurse remarks shortly.

"She's not," I agree, standing up straight. "Her stomach has been hurting and I think she's running a fever."

The nurse walks over to Karly, places the back of her palm against her forehead for a few moments and then nods.

"Definitely warm," she comments, walking over to a counter where there are a few colored jars lined up. She opens one and removes a thermometer, bringing it back to Karly and putting it into her mouth.

I sigh and look around the room, seeing two long countertops lining each side and a large table in the middle with paperwork scattered across the surface. There are a few small rooms off in the corners, and on one side, there's a large door marked "Sleeping Quarters."

As I stroll towards one of the counters and casually glance at the colorful bottles, I hear the nurse say,

"Don't touch that," she warns, sounding frighteningly like my mother. "You need to sign her in."

My eyes flick upwards at her, then drift around the table in search of the sign-in sheet.

"Okay…where would I do that?"

"In the lobby," she tersely answers, taking the thermometer out of Karly's mouth and looking at it closely.

I nod and walk back out to the lobby, spotting a small blue binder on a corner table. As I begin to write down Karly's name, I hear the front door open behind me. The cool air rushes in as I finish entering all of her information into the book.

"Jude?"

I turn around to see familiar blue eyes looking back at me.

"Tommy? What are you doing here?" I ask.

"My sick camper asked for his stuffed dog. He said he can't sleep without it," he responds, glancing down at the worn brown stuffed animal in his hands. He adds a smirk and says, "I guess fourteen's not too old for toys."

"It's not a toy, it's a stuffed animal," I correct him, taking a step closer and looking at the dog. It has one missing eye and a patch of fur worn down to a lighter shade of brown. "You never had any stuffed animals?"

He shakes his head. "Nope."

"Nothing? Not even Snoopy?" I question with raised brows.

"Nope. Nada."

"You were probably too tough for stuffed animals," I remark, walking back towards the main room. I hear him following me, as I add, "Well, real men aren't afraid to sleep with stuffed animals."

He smirks loudly and I spin around to see his cocky grin. "Well, let's just say that there was no room for stuffed animals in my bed."

"Eww," I respond, scrunching up my face and hitting his arm. He laughs at my reaction, shaking his head at my predictability.

"Excuse me!" the nurse calls out in a loud whisper. "This is a place for sick people, not socializing!"

I bite my lip and offer Tommy an apologetic look, then turn my attention back to Karly, who's still sitting in the chair opening her mouth wide for the nurse.

"Say ahhh…"

"Ahhhh….."

I lean over towards Tommy and whisper, "This one's mine. She's sick too."

"There's something going around this camp," the nurse states, standing and throwing away the wooden stick. "If counselors could teach their campers how to properly disinfect, then there would be no need for infirmaries."

I give a sideways glance at Tommy, who just rolls his eyes.

"Um, Mrs. Jabson?" Tommy asks hesitantly, offering his sweetest smile. "Andrew Welling is my camper and he asked for his stuffed animal."

Mrs. Jabson, the nurse, nods and smiles warmly at him. "Thank you for bringing it, Mr. Quincy. You can place it on the table and I will bring it to him."

"No problem," he says with a grin, making her blush a little.

It's scary how he has that effect on women even of that age. Let's be real…he has that effect on women of _any_ age.

Just as I turn towards him to flash the ceremonial eye roll, the front door opens again and we feel the chill enter the building. Footsteps resound in the lobby and seconds later, a figure emerges at the entrance to the main room.

"Jamie?" I ask, startling him.

"Jude!" he replies in surprise. His eyes immediately dart over to Tommy, realizing that he's standing beside me.

Before he has a moment to question our presence, I ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Getting my allergy medicine," he replies, as Mrs. Jabson stands from her position next to Karly, looking over at Jamie and sighing loudly.

"Mr. Andrews…how many times do I have to tell you that evening meds are distributed only between 8 and 8:30?" she asks, crossing her arms and eyeing him irritably.

"I know. I'm sorry…I just, got caught up with my campers," he claims, offering a charming smile just like Tommy had done seconds ago. "You know how they can be…those loveable, time-sucking kids of mine."

I noticeably scoff at his words, knowing that Jamie thinks of his kids as anything but loveable. He shoots me a glare from the corner of his eye and then returns his attention back to the nurse.

"May I please take my medication now?" he asks as politely as possible.

Mrs. Jabson breathes deeply, her eyes narrowing behind her thick-rimmed glasses. "This is the last time, Mr. Andrews. Last time! Next time, you will have to suffer the consequences of nasal congestion. Understood?"

Jamie purses his lips together, clearly appearing humiliated. "Yes, Mrs. Jabson," he mumbles.

Mrs. Jabson nods and rushes off towards one of the shelves in the corner, looking through bottles for the correct one. Jamie glances over to Tommy and I, who are both smirking quietly.

"Shut up," he grumbles. "What are you two doing here anyway?"

"That's my camper," I reply, pointing to Karly, who's now slumped against the wall, half-asleep.

"And I have a camper staying overnight," Tommy explains.

"He brought him a dog," I say with a snigger.

"A dog?" Jamie asks with raised brows.

"A stuffed dog," Tommy clarifies. "It's his favorite."

"How nice of you," Jamie says flatly, an edge of sarcasm in his voice. I furrow my brows at him, while the nurse walks back to hand him a pill and a cup of water. He quickly pops the pill into his mouth and swallows it.

"Thanks," he says when it's done.

"Yes, yes," the nurse says, shooing him away. "Now…where were we? Ahh yes. Now, Miss…Miss…" Mrs. Jabson starts, looking at me.

"Harrison," I say quickly.

"Miss Harrison," she finishes. "Your camper needs to stay here tonight."

"Is she going to be okay?" I ask.

"With the proper care, yes," Mrs. Jabson answers. "Though you need to keep your bunk cleaner, Miss Harrison."

I bite my tongue to keep my arguments at bay and simply smile like Tommy and Jamie had done.

"Of course. When should I come back to get her?"

"You can return tomorrow, though I doubt she'll be ready to leave. I suggest you stop by to bring her a change of clothes."

"Change of clothes…got it," I say, mentally reminding myself.

"And make sure the rest of your campers are washing their hands," she instructs, helping Karly out of the chair. "They think that nothing can stop them, but germs certainly will."

I glance over at Tommy and Jamie, who are now smirking at me.

Karly opens her eyes and begins to follow Mrs. Jabson towards the sleeping area. As she gets closer to me, I reach out to give her a quick comforting hug.

"You're going to feel better soon," I say quietly, looking into her sad eyes. "I promise."

She nods and then is ushered away by Mrs. Jabson, disappearing down the long corridor on the other side of the door.

I sigh as they are fully out of view and turn back around, my eyes meeting both Tommy's and Jamie's.

An awkward silence comes over the three of us. As I start to think of conversation topics, I see Jamie turn towards Tommy and cross his arms across his chest. Uh oh, this can't be good.

"So," Jamie starts, his tone hostile, "Jude tells me we're all traveling home together for our day off."

Tommy nods, glancing at Jamie. "I think that's the plan."

"Well now, won't that be just the most enjoyable four hours we've all ever spent together?" Jamie asks with a fake smile, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Jamie!" I say, my eyes narrowed at him.

"Listen, man," Tommy starts, holding his hands up in defense, "if you don't want to come, you don't have to. Nicole and I just thought it would make sense."

"It was a very nice offer," I pipe in, nodding at Tommy in agreement.

"Right," Jamie replies, his eyes meeting mine. "Well, I, for one, am definitely looking forward to spending that time together. It's like a dream come true."

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I'm exhausted. And Jamie is being difficult. And I honestly don't feel like dealing with this.

"I'm going back to my bunk," I state, as I begin to walk past them towards the lobby.

"I can walk you back," Tommy offers.

My eyes meet his as I offer a small grin. "Thanks, but I'm sure I'll be okay—"

"It's late though," he says, starting to walk towards me. "Who knows what kind of strange animals are lurking out there this time of night."

I smirk lightly and start to say, "Thanks, but really, I—"

"If anyone's going to walk her back, it's going to be me," Jamie interrupts, stepping in front of Tommy to stand beside me.

Tommy again holds his hands up in defense. "Be my guest. I just thought—"

"She is _my_ girlfriend," Jamie attests, putting his arm around me possessively.

I furrow my brow and look at him, slipping out of his grip. "You know what? I don't need a chaperone. I'm perfectly capable of walking myself back to my bunk."

Jamie's eyes widen as I add, "I'm tired, especially of this conversation. So I'm leaving. By myself. Goodnight to both of you."

I feel both of their eyes bore into my back as I turn, cross through the lobby, and open the door. The cool air hits me as I step outside, quickly walking down the steps to the ground below.

As I reach the bottom and start to walk towards Girl's Camp, I release a loud groan in frustration, which echoes through the open fields. Those four hours we're all going to spend in the car together are bound to be the longest of my life.


	25. Chapter 25

I'm back! And with a new chapter...finally!! I'm so sorry for making you all wait, but you'll see that's there's A LOT packed into this update. I've decided to jump the story forward a couple of days, so we're picking up here a few days after Karly gets sick and Jude has her day without Amy. We're basically leading right into the car ride home, but as you'll see, things don't always work out the way Jude thinks they will. :)

Thanks so much for everyone for sticking with me and especially to those who leave comments! I'd really like to hear what you think, especially about this chapter since so much happens, so please let me know. And of course, ENJOY!

* * *

The next two days go by slower than Jamie's driving. Amy returned from her day off and I honestly can say I've never been so excited to see another human being in my life. I think I charged at her like a bull and a matador when she stepped through the doorway. I proceeded to rant for two hours about how terrible my day alone was, and like a good counselor, she sat quietly and listened to me, offering as much sympathy as she could.

So now I find myself in my bunk during my free period, packing up a bag for my day off. I'm feeling a weird mix of emotions – excitement to be going home, nausea at the four hour car ride, anxiety over talking to Jamie about us, and most of all, an overwhelming sense of exhaustion.

I've thought a lot about the car ride. I've talked to Karma about it, heard her concerns over Jamie's impact on our plan, voiced my own concerns about having to watch Tommy and Nicole make out, and in the end, I've made a decision. I will use the time in the car to do something productive. Something I need to do before any discussions, arguments or awkwardness take place: I will sleep.

My ipod sits on my bed, charging away in anticipation of the time it'll be in use…as in, all four hours. Since we're leaving tonight after dinner, it shouldn't be a problem to fall asleep in the car. I'll be tired, it'll be dark out - it's perfect. And that way, I can simply avoid any uncomfortable moments. Nothing bad can happen as long as I'm asleep…right?

"So where are you going exactly?" Amy asks, sitting on her own bed.

"Home," I reply, stuffing a sweatshirt into my bag.

"You're leaving after dinner?" she asks.

"Yep," I confirm. "I'm counting down."

"And how long will it take you to get home?" she asks.

"Too long," I answer with a smirk.

She grins in response. "Aren't you going to miss us?"

I eye her with raised brows. "Did you miss this place on your day off?"

She thinks to herself for a moment and then shrugs. "Maybe a little…"

"Liar," I reply with a smile, throwing the closest object, which happens to be a towel, in her direction.

"Okay, okay," she admits with a light laugh. "It was nice getting away for a day. You'll have a good time, regardless of where you go or what you do."

"Let's hope so," I mutter feebly with a deep breath, trying not to get myself worked up over the trip.

Silence falls over us for a few moments until she bluntly states, "You like crap, Jude."

I pause from packing and look at her with an affronted expression. "Gee, thanks."

"I'm serious," she says more firmly. I feel her eyes on me as I attempt to zip the bag that I've now successfully over-stuffed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just tired," I say, managing to finally squeeze it shut. With a sigh, I collapse on my bed, adding, "I haven't slept much, especially with the whole Karly incident."

"Yeah," she replies thoughtfully. "I'm glad she's feeling better. I'd really prefer to spend as little time as possible with Nurse 'Crabson.'"

I immediately snort at the mocking name she's coined for the nurse, Mrs. Jabson.

"Yes, well, Mrs. Crabson and I bonded during your day off," I remind her.

"You can bond with her as much as you want," she joked. "My goal is to stay at least twenty feet away from the infirmary while you're gone."

"That's a good goal," I say with a teasing smile. "My goal is to make it back here in one piece."

"Why are you so worried about your day off?" she asks more seriously, sitting up straighter on her bed.

"Because…" I start hesitantly. I haven't exactly told Amy about my plan to sabotage Tommy and Nicole's relationship. But she _does_ know that I'm having issues with Jamie, so I suppose I can let her in a bit more. "I'm driving home with Jamie, Tommy, and Nicole."

Her eyes widen in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Unfortunately, yes," I confirm, covering my eyes with my hands. "I don't know what I was thinking but they're all going to kill each other."

"Not you?" she asks curiously.

"Oh no, I'll be fast asleep in the back seat," I say with a comforting grin. "Which is exactly where I want to be."

She nods skeptically, then swings her legs off her bed and stands up. "Well, in any case, I'll leave you alone to enjoy the rest of your free period. I have a feeling you might not be able to get as much sleep in that car as you'd like."

She smirks quietly before walking towards the door.

"I have earplugs!" I call out after her, though not budging from my position on the bed.

"They won't do any good!" she calls out in response, stepping outside. I hear her laughter fade as I shake my head at her theory.

Everything is going to be fine. Like I told my campers, we're all adults, so this ride should be smooth. And even if there are a few bumps, I'll be asleep. I'm going to avoid talking to anyone or arguing with anyone or listening to anyone make out. Hmmm…I wonder how far we'll be able to make it without needing to pull over for an emergency exit…

- - -

"Jude! Jude!"

I hear my name vaguely being called, as though the voice was miles away…

"Jude! Get up! Don't you know what time it is??"

Hmmmm…that sounds kind of like Amy's voice. And now it doesn't sound miles away, it sounds more like—

"JUDE! Did you hear me?? Wake UP!"

I feel myself being pushed, the pressure on my arm becoming firmer.

"Owww…." I moan, turning over and groaning.

"Jude—it's 5:30. You've been sleeping for almost three hours!"

Oh my god. 5:30?!

"WHAT?!" I yell, my eyes flying open. I quickly sit up in my bed, feeling the room spin from the speed of my actions.

As I refocus, my eyes land on Amy who looks equally as panicked as I feel.

"Oh my god – it's 5:30?!" I shout. Amy quickly nods her head as both my heart and mind being to race.

"That means…I….I missed my last two songwriting programs!! No, no, no, no, no! Tommy's going to kill me!! Oh my god…I am a dead woman!!" I shout, flailing my arms in the air.

I pull the covers off of me and jump up onto the floor. But my alarmed state is instantly brought to a halt as I feel the room spin even faster than it had been seconds ago.

"Whoa—" I mutter, leaning against the window ledge to steady myself.

I close my eyes in an attempt to regain my balance and feel Amy grab my arm to keep me steady. The room seems to have increased in temperature by at least 20 degrees and I'm starting to feel the sweat beads form on my face.

"Jude…are you okay?" she asks, her voice going from frantic to concerned.

I take a deep breath to calm myself, feeling the weight of my body become heavier as I sit down on the edge of my bed and finally open my eyes. I pause and look up at her, on the verge of responding, but my gaze instead drifts towards the doorway.

It is at this moment that I realize that Amy and I are not the only ones in the bunk: looking back at me are ten sets of eyes, with their jaws agape and their expressions stunned into silence.

Oh great. Now I'll have to find a way to turn my meltdown into some sort of educational experience for a group of thirteen year-olds.

While my cheeks flush in the humiliation of my actions, Jessica takes a hesitant step towards me and says, "Jude? Where were you? We were waiting in the rec hall for like an hour."

"Sorry," I say, sighing deeply. "I apparently slept through the last three periods."

"Seriously?" Jessica asks in disbelief. "We just thought you and Tommy were in a meeting or something."

Confusion dawns on me at her words. "Tommy? You mean…he wasn't there either?"

Jessica shakes her head. "There wasn't any staff there."

I groan aloud, starting to wish that I had slept even longer.

"What about Nicole?" I ask, afraid of the answer.

Jessica shrugs. "She was there but then she left early. She mentioned something about needing to try on outfits for her day off."

Oh great. Just great. A songwriting program with no songwriting instructors or supervising counselor. Now Josh is going to kill me too.

I groan again, feeling like this day can't possibly get any worse.

But as I attempt to stand up again, I suddenly feel a sense of queasiness develop in my stomach. I glance downwards, as though I'm waiting to see some physical abnormality appear on my abdomen, but I only start to hear it churn more rapidly.

"Jude…are you okay?" Amy asks again, furrowing her brow at me in more serious concern.

"I'm fine…" I start, wrapping my arms around myself as the gurgling continues, except it's now accompanied by a twinge of pain.

Something's not right. I don't feel right.

"Are you sure?" she asks, stepping towards me.

Her voice fades into the distance as I internally review everything I've eaten today…cereal for breakfast, some mystery soup and hot dogs at lunch, and then a granola bar for dessert. Nothing abnormal. Nothing that would cause my stomach to hurt. Nothing that could possibly make me—

"Oh god," I mumble, the aching in my stomach suddenly becoming unbearable.

And that's when everything goes from bad to worse.

I stumble away from my bed and yank at the door to the main cabin, stepping quickly through the doorway. The nausea starts to intensify as I break into a full sprint to the back of the bunk, skidding past the mirrors and turning into the first open stall. I throw open the door and lurch myself at the toilet, making it there just in time.

- - -

An hour later, I'm sprawled out on the floor of the bathroom, my breathing heavy and the sweat dripping from my forehead. I've lost all of my energy and ability to think rationally.

"Jude?" I hear from above me.

I can barely move or make any visible acknowledgment of the voice. This scene reminds me of when my mom used to wake me up for school…except this is a much harder bed and there's definitely a more putrid smell.

"Jude?" I hear again. I feel a cooling hand against my forehead, resting for a few moments.

"She's burning up," the voice continues. "Jude? Can you hear me?"

"Amy?" I ask, my voice sounding hoarse.

I can vaguely feel the warmth of her breath as her body gets closer to mine, leaning down towards me.

"Jude, we need to get you out of here. Do you think you can sit up?"

I take a deep breath and rest my palms on the cool floor, the sensation sending chills down my spine. I keep my eyes closed but attempt to shift slightly, my limbs feeling achy and weak. I whimper as I feel hands on my back, lifting my upper half up into a sitting position.

"Ugghh…" I whine, my hands going straight to my stomach which is now incredibly sore from the last hour of festivities.

"Jude," Amy starts again, her voice quiet, "we need to get you to the infirmary."

"No," I say immediately, my eyes fluttering open. "No infirmary."

She shakes her head at me. "Jude, you've got a fever. And your stomach clearly is not right. You are not staying here."

"Okay," I start, trying to reason more coherently, "then I'll just go home and deal with this on my day off."

I can see her considering my words but instead of agreeing to my wishes, she glares at me sternly. "Jude, there are a few things I've learned about you over the last few weeks. You don't like waking up early, you're moody without caffeine, you never make your bed, you own more pairs of underwear than the Hanes store, and above all, you are one of the most stubborn people I've ever met."

I look up at her, my brows raised. "Is this supposed to be some kind of bizarre pep talk?"

"What I'm saying," she continues, disregarding my comment, "is that you don't always do what's best for you. And now, as you're lying on the floor of our bunk surrounded by ants and dust particles, and insisting on going home instead of to the infirmary where you belong, I can only say that you're making a _huge_ mistake."

I furrow my brows at her, taken aback by her honesty. "It's not a mistake. If I want to go home, I'll go home."

She sighs, then waves her hands at me, releasing her hold on my back and says, "Fine. Then go."

At her words, I nod in satisfaction and glance over towards the bathroom entryway where all of our campers are watching in anticipation of my actions.

Good – I'm glad they're here. I'm going to set a good example. I'm not a kid who can be bossed around. I'm an adult and I can make decisions for myself. I know when I'm sick and when I'm not. And this was just a fleeting condition that has already passed.

With a fierce sense of determination, I place my hands back down to the ground and begin pushing my weight upwards. Amy backs away, with her hands on her hips, watching me intently. I grab hold of the edge of the bathroom stall and climb my way up until I'm finally on my feet.

"See? I'm fine. I'm healthy. I'm…I'm…" I start, my confidence dissipating as the spinning of the room becomes faster and my nausea creeps up on me again. I put both hands on the stall and lean my head against it, my legs starting to feel unstable beneath me.

"Jude," Amy says, rushing forward and scooping me up before I fall back to the ground. She wraps an arm around my waist and I instinctively grab onto her, letting her take hold of me.

"Okay, that's it," she declares, dragging me away from the bathroom stall. "We're going to the infirmary and I don't want to hear another word out of you."

I release an irritated grumble but reluctantly walk alongside her, hating the fact that she was right.

- - -

As we enter the infirmary, Amy steers me into the main room and helps me sit on an open chair.

My whole body feels limp in fatigue as she releases me, and as she starts to step away, I quietly whine, "But I don't _want_ to see Mrs. Crabson..."

She stands above me and says, "Tough. You need her, Jude."

I scoff in response and cross my arms, becoming frustrated by her interpretation of tough love.

"What do we have here?" Mrs. Jabson asks, approaching me.

"She's got a fever and threw up the entire contents of her lunch about an hour ago," Amy quickly explains.

"I'm fine," I say decisively as Mrs. Jabson feels my forehead.

"No, you're not," she states knowingly, grabbing a thermometer from the jar on the counter. "Open up."

I whimper slightly but open my mouth to let her put the thermometer under my tongue. I sit quietly, watching a few other patients enter to take their medication. I make eye contact with one guy on his way out and I start to imagine the headlines that could come out of this situation: 'Sickness Strikes Instant Star'; 'Harrison's Heaving Horror'; 'Insider Tales from the Infirmary'

The nurse removes the thermometer and looks at it with raised eyebrows. "Not good, not good," she mumbles, shaking her head at me. "Did I not tell you about the importance of disinfection, Miss Harrison?"

"You did," I say with a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry."

"We need to check you in," she replies, glancing over at Amy, who nods and goes off to find the blue binder. "It's a full house, Miss Harrison, so it's good you arrived when you did. We only have one room left."

"Oh, well, I can just leave then," I start, my tone hopeful. "I'm supposed to go on my day off tonight, so I can just—"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Harrison," Mrs. Jabson interjects. "As I said, we have one room left and that room will be yours."

As she retreats to grab her clipboard, the reality of the situation begins to hit me. I'm going to stay _here_ on my day off? I can't do that…what will Jamie say? Oh my god—Jamie's going to kill me! He's going to be all alone in the car with Tommy and Nicole!

"Wait!" I call out, causing the nurse to look up at me. "I have to tell my boyfriend—I need to talk to him!"

"I'll tell him," Amy offers, returning to my side.

I glance at her anxiously and mutter, "He's going to be mad."

"You're sick, Jude. There's nothing you can do," Amy states with a shrug. "He'll have to understand."

Somehow, the words 'understanding' and 'Jamie' just don't seem to go together in this situation.

"Miss Harrison, I'll need you to follow me," the nurse commands, setting her clipboard down.

I glance hesitantly towards Amy who offers a small encouraging nod. "I'll bring your bag later tonight."

I mutter a quiet thanks as she helps me stand up and passes me off to the nurse. I hold onto the nurse's side as we slowly walk through the doorway for the private sleeping quarters, following the long gray hallway to the end. It's virtually silent in this area and all I can think about is how the sterile smell is making me feel more nauseous.

"This is our common room," she explains, stopping outside a set of double doors. "All meals are served in here."

Why is she telling me this now? All I want to do is curl up and go to sleep and forget that I'm wasting my entire day off in an infirmary with a crabby nurse.

The nurse opens one of the doors and ushers me inside, saying, "You'll have to wait here for a moment while I make up your room."

She helps me sit on one of the benches, where I immediately lay my head on the table in front of me and listen to her footsteps leave the room.

What am I doing here? I want to go home…I want to get into my pajamas and let my dad make me soup and bring me ginger ale.

Moments later, I hear coughing in the hallway and the sound of the door opening behind me. The last thing I want right now is for some camper to see me like this, so I quickly decide to keep my head down and act like I'm invisible.

The coughing dies down but then I hear soft moaning sounds, as though the kid is in pain. Oh great – now I'm going to feel guilty for acting like I'm passed out while some poor kid is dying next to me. Why are they even walking around here if they're so sick? Doesn't everyone get the Nurse Crabson disinfection lecture? What kind of supervision is this??

As the person starts to cough again, I hear the door open and Mrs. Jabson's voice echoes in the common room.

"Miss Harrison? Miss Harrison? Your room is all ready. Why don't we get you settled in there?"

I lazily sit up, pushing my hair out of my face, and slowly spin around on the bench to face her. As she comes over to help me up, her eyes drift past me to the other person in the room and she says harshly,

"Mr. Quincy, I suggest you return to your room immediately before your vomiting starts up again."

Wait.

Did she just—

Was that cough—

No. It couldn't be…could it?

But as I turn around to confirm my suspicions, the nurse steps behind me, blocking my view, and pushes me out of the room. She swiftly ushers me into the hallway, but as the door to the common room closes behind us, I'm able to sneak a quick glance behind her to gaze into familiar blue eyes.


	26. Chapter 26

Hi everyone! I'm back with a new chapter. Apologies for the delay, but I've been traveling a lot for work and haven't had time to sit down and crank this chapter out. I'm hoping you'll all like it - I think I'm pretty happy with how it turned out - but please let me know! Your comments and feedback always keep me motivated, so thanks to everyone who's been posting. Please keep giving me feedback - I love to hear it! And of course, enjoy!

* * *

I wake up in a cool and quiet environment, hugging the blanket tighter around my body to keep warm. I slowly open my eyes, taking in my surroundings. The room is completely dark except for a hint of moonlight peeking through the one small window. Even with the limited light, I can tell this is the most boring room I think I've ever been in. The walls are all white and there are no pictures on the walls or rug on the floor. It makes me feel as though I'm in some sort of institution – which, given how I feel right now, may not be so far from the truth. 

I feel a dull ache in my stomach as I attempt to sit up, triggering my memory of being in the bunk and getting sick. I stare around the room in disarray. What time is it? How long have I been asleep? It couldn't have been too long since my body still feels exhausted.

I take a deep breath and pull the blankets off of me. My mouth is dry as I attempt to stand up, unsure of whether my legs will hold me. I slowly stumble over to the door, grabbing the cool handle and turning it.

The bright light from the hallway hits my eyes abruptly but I begin to walk down the hall in search of hydration, glancing at the closed doors on either side of me. There are muffled voices coming from the end of the hall where the common room is, but otherwise, all else is silent.

As I get closer, the voices become louder, although I can tell that the double doors to the room are closed. I take a few tentative steps outside the room, pausing to listen to the conversation on the other side of the doorway.

"But you said we would go _together_!"

"I know…but things change! What do you want me to do? Get in the car with you but stop every ten minutes to throw up on the side of the road?"

"That would be okay with me…"

"Well, that wouldn't be okay with me. I'm not coming. I'm staying here."

A tension-filled quiet fills the air for a few moments before a female voice says,

"Fine. But when are we supposed to talk about my album then?"

"Your album? What album?"

"The one we're going to be working on! I want Darius to hear my stuff…I want you to bring it to him…don't you know how great that will make you look? Finding this new, hot artist that could totally revive the label?"

"First of all, the label doesn't need reviving. We have plenty of successful artists that I've already produced. Second, I want Darius to hear your stuff too…but working on it for one day isn't going to make or break anything. We have plenty of time, Nicole. What's your rush?"

Nicole. I knew it!

I hear her sigh loudly and say, "I just… I want to come back to Toronto and spend time with you when the summer's over. And without a record contract, I don't know if I'll be able to do that."

Ugh…she's making my stomach churn again…

"I want that too," I hear Tommy say, his voice warmer, "but we're going to have to work on your music another time. I can't come with you now…I'm sorry."

He's sorry? Why should he be sorry? He's sick for god sakes, it's not like it's his fault.

I hear her sigh again, clearly not liking his response, and say, "Okay…what am I supposed to do then? Just spend the day alone?"

"That doesn't sound too bad to me."

"Well it sounds horrible to me," she states decisively. "And that Jamie kid, he actually asked if I would drive him somewhere. Like I'd ever be in the car with him alone!"

I hear Tommy smirk and I feel myself giggle quietly too. He says, "Nicole, he's not that bad."

"I do not let anyone in my car who looks like a muppet," she declares.

My jaw drops at her comment. Jamie may not be a male model, but a muppet? That's a little harsh.

"Besides," Nicole continues, ignoring Tommy's laughter at her muppet comment, "what happened to Jude? Why can't she come?"

I immediately feel my cheeks flush at the sound of my name.

"Jamie didn't tell you?" Tommy asks, which I assume she confirms, because he then goes on, sounding a bit flustered by the topic. "Oh…well…I think she's ummm, well, I think her plans changed."

Huh? Plans changed? My plans didn't change – I'm sick. Did he not see me before? Getting dragged away by the nurse?

Nicole smirks at his explanation and replies, "You mean, she decided she didn't like the muppet either?"

"He's not a muppet, Nicole," Tommy says with a more sympathetic tone. "He's a little weird, but I wouldn't say—"

"Miss Harrison, _what_ are you doing out of bed??" I hear behind me.

Oh no. Oh no...no, no, no…

I don't need to turn around to know that Mrs. Jabson is standing behind me, clearly noticing me eavesdropping outside the common room doors.

The conversation inside the common room has silenced as both Tommy and Nicole have undoubtedly heard my name being called.

Oh no…this is bad.

My cheeks flush a deep shade of crimson as I turn around to look at Nurse Jabson, who's standing before me with her arms crossed.

"I will ask you again," she starts, staring at me crossly, "what are you doing out of bed, Miss Harrison?"

I swallow the giant lump that's formed in my throat and offer her a weak smile.

"I was just getting some water," I manage to say, my voice quiet and hoarse.

She eyes me skeptically and asks, "Did you not see the cup of water sitting beside your bed?"

Whoops. I must've missed that.

I shake my head and say, "No…sorry. It was so dark, I could barely see anything…"

She takes a deep breath and says, "Fine. Let's get you the glass of water and then it's back to your room. Your germs may be contagious and the last thing we want is for you to wander the halls."

She steps in front of me and opens one of the doors to the common room, ushering me inside. With a tentative step forward, I take a deep breath and enter the room.

The scene before me is exactly as I picture it – Tommy is seated on one of the benches and Nicole is standing opposite him, her arms crossed. They both appear startled as we enter the room and I feel my heart pounding from the awkward situation.

"Hi," I say quietly, meeting both of their gazes. "Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to get—"

"A glass of water. We heard," Nicole finishes, her tone snippy. She immediately glares at Tommy and asks, "Change of plans?"

I glance in his direction, taking in his pale skin, reddened eyes and baseball cap covering his normally coifed hair. I can tell he's struggling to explain his own account of where I was, opening his mouth and then closing it again. He remains speechless as the nurse goes over to the cupboard in the corner, grabs a glass, fills it with water from the sink and then hands it back to me.

"Thanks," I say meekly as she hands it to me.

All eyes fall on me as I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip, tasting the cool water soothe my throat.

Out of the quiet comes a small voice,

"Mrs. Jabson, my tummy's all crampy," a little boy says from the doorway, rubbing his eyes with one hand and holding his stomach with the other. He's wearing cute little blue pajamas with footsies and it looks like he just woke up seconds ago.

"Oh, Michael," the nurse says, rushing over to the boy, "let's get you some more of that tummy medicine and then bring you back to bed."

She steers him out of the room, leaving the three of us all alone. I don't know whether to run out the door behind her or stay here with them, but I find myself glued to my spot on the floor, unable to budge.

"So," Nicole says, clapping her hands together, "Jude, I take it you're sick as well?"

I swallow a sip of water and nod in her direction, not letting myself glance at Tommy.

"Well, isn't that just convenient for the two of you?" Nicole replies, taking a few steps closer to the door. "I guess you'll get to spend your day off together then, won't you?"

I hear Tommy take a deep breath as he slowly gets up from the bench. "Nicole, it's not like that…we're sick. And we're going to be stuck here all day."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way to entertain yourselves," she replies, her voice bitter and caustic. "This is just great. I'll be all alone while you two will be enjoying your day—"

"Enjoying?" I interrupt with raised brows. "Nicole, based on the way I feel right now, enjoyment will not be part of the next 24 hours."

"Exactly," Tommy agrees, taking a few steps closer to Nicole, who still seems to be riled up. "Nicole, this isn't where we want to be either. Don't you think I want to spend the time with you?"

She scrutinizes his expression, as though she's trying to read whether he's being honest, and then emits a dramatic huff. "Fine. But after this, maybe you can find some time in your busy schedule to actually help me with my music?"

"Yes, I promise," he says, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

Oh great…there goes my stomach again…

Thankfully, the door to the common room opens and Nurse Jabson enters again, looking quickly around at the three of us.

"Miss Rider, it's late. I think it's time you go. Mr. Quincy and Miss Harrison, back to your rooms," she commands, holding the door open.

I place my empty glass on the table as Tommy and Nicole say a quick goodbye. Nicole then exits, her heels clinking down the silent hallway. Tommy glances back towards me, both of us sharing in a halfhearted shrug before stepping out of the room and heading down the hall towards our respective rooms.

- - -

The next day, I wake up feeling groggy and drowsy. My stomach still aches and I still feel a little dizzy, but I force myself to stand up from my bed. I spot my duffle bag in the corner, assuming Amy had dropped it off overnight. I walk over to it and grab the first sweatshirt I see, pulling it over my head. I then head towards the door, opening it and stepping out into the hallway.

I hear voices and excitement in the common room at the end, so I begin my walk towards the double doors.

As I hesitantly push one of the doors open, I see a handful of campers sitting on benches, their eyes glued to a small television where there's a cartoon playing. They're laughing at a scene where Scooby Doo is scratching his head while a few plates of breakfast food are scattered around on the tables.

And in the middle of the group is Tommy, sitting with his back against the wall, equally as enthralled with the cartoon as the campers. He's holding a cup of juice and is wearing red and green flannel pajamas. His skin is still pale and eyes are blood-shot, but his hat from the night before is gone and his hair is in complete disarray, sticking up in all directions.

I chuckle quietly to myself at his appearance, causing him to turn towards me.

"Something funny, Harrison?" he asks, his voice sounding even raspier than normal, sending a slight shiver down my spine.

I ignore the sensation and shake my head, walking over to sit on one of the benches next to him. "Not at all. I just never realized you were a fan of flannel."

"They're an emergency pair," he explains, looking down at his clothing.

"And are they part of your Christmas tradition? I can just picture it…little Tommy Q waking up early and running downstairs to get his gifts in his red and green flannel pajamas…" I start, my voice trailing off as my giggles kick in.

"Shut it," he mumbles to me, crossing his arms. "Besides, it's not like you look like your usual rock star self."

I glance down at my 'Carson Hill' sweatshirt, the letters completely faded and the edges tattered. "It's my favorite," I say, offended that he wouldn't like my sweatshirt. "And you know I love green."

"Maybe it _used_ to be green," he retorts, "but _that_ looks like what came up from my stomach last night."

"Ewww," I say, scrunching my face up in disgust.

He laughs lightly as we turn to see Nurse Jabson enter the room.

"Ahh, Miss Harrison. I see you're awake," she says, walking over to me and inspecting my appearance. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," I answer with a shrug. "Better than yesterday but still not 100."

She nods and puts her hand on my forehead. "Still a slight fever…you're going to need to take it easy today. That means lots of liquids, plenty of rest, and no strenuous activity."

As she walks away, I lean over towards Tommy and whisper, "Strenuous activity? What kind of strenuous activity could I possibly do in this place anyway?"

A mischievous grin emerges on his face as he wiggles his brows at me. "I'm sure we could think of something."

I feel myself blush at his innuendo, causing him to start to laugh.

"Quincy!" I exclaim, leaning over and hitting his arm.

"Miss Harrison," I hear from behind me. "What did I just say about strenuous activity? That includes not hitting Mr. Quincy. You two are counselors – you should be setting a better example."

I turn around, smiling timidly towards the nurse. "Sorry, Mrs. Jabson. No more strenuous activity."

I hear Tommy continue to smirk quietly from beside me. I say nothing but roll my eyes, not having the energy to hit again him like he deserves.

- - -

"Do you have any fours?"

"Go fish."

I groan and pick up the first card on top of the pile. Damn…I don't need any sixes.

"Do you have any sixes?" Tommy asks.

Crap.

I groan again but hand over the six I just picked up, watching a grin develop on his face.

"Stop smirking. It's not funny," I warn sternly.

"Yes it is," he replies, laying out four sixes on the table.

"I told you that I suck at card games," I remind him.

"Yes, but I didn't realize that includes Go Fish," he says, smirking more openly.

I take a deep breath and resume my focus, trying to will my cards through positive thinking.

"Do you have any…jacks?"

His eyes light up as though he's holding the answer to my prayers, but his expression quickly drops as he replies,

"Go fish."

"Damn you," I mutter, grudgingly picking up another card. "I'm bored. And this is not helping to amuse me."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that…would you like me to get up and dance around for you like I normally do?" he asks with a wry smile, putting his cards down on the table.

"You could do a re-enactment of 'Pick Up the Pieces.' I think that would amuse all of us," I propose, loud enough for the other kids in the common room to hear.

One of the girls playing checkers gasps at my suggestion. "Tommy's going to sing 'Pick Up the Pieces'?? Oh my god! That would totally make my stomach feel better!"

"Me too!" another girl cries out, dropping the coloring book she's holding.

Tommy sighs but shakes his head. "No can do. Sorry, girls. I think if I attempt to sing or dance right now, you may see me collapse on the floor."

"That would still amuse me," I say quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. He shoots me an irritated glare, but then turns back towards the two girls on the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry," he says to them. "Maybe after I feel better? I'll owe you one Boyz Attack performance."

They both nod at him in agreement, then turn to resume their games. He turns back to me and grabs his cards from the table.

"Do you have any nines?"

"I hate this game," I state dismissively, dropping my cards on the table. "I'm not playing anymore."

His brows raise as he says, "Wow. Being sick sure makes _you_ grumpy."

"I'm not grumpy," I say, crossing my arms. "I'm bored. There's a difference."

"Well, we're sick, Jude. And we're wasting our one day off in the glorious confines of this infirmary. What would you suggest we do to pass the time?" he asks.

Suddenly, a thought crosses my mind. It's something that I haven't done in a long time…something neither of us has done in a long time. Come to think of it, I think this is the longest I've ever gone without doing it…

"Okay, you're scaring me," he says, interrupting my thoughts. "You've got this weird look on your face…did you think of some other way to humiliate me or something?"

I grin at him, a spark in my eye, and start to stand up.

"Come on," I say, beckoning him towards the door.

"Does this involve strenuous activity? Because you know what the nurse—"

"No strenuous activity. Come _on_," I say more firmly, taking a few steps towards the door.

"I'm not going anywhere until you explain," he says warily. "I don't trust that look."

I roll my eyes and retreat back towards the table, the grin still glued to my face. "What's the one thing that you and I do best that we haven't done in a long time?"

His expression briefly shows his confusion as he considers my words. Seconds later, understanding dawns on him as he returns my grin and stands up.

"I happen to have my guitar," he says, following me around the table towards the door. "I was going to bring it for our day off but I guess it'll come in handy now. But we're not writing any songs about sickness, vomiting, or pink anti-biotics. Got it?"

"Got it," I agree with a nod, pushing the door open and heading down the hall towards his room.

I feel the thrill of inspiration begin to hit me, my mind mulling over all the possibilities of new songs we can create together. Maybe some non-strenuous activity can be fun after all.


	27. Chapter 27, Part I

Hi everyone! So good news...I have the next part ready, yay!

This chapter has actually been divided into two parts, so this is Part 1 and Part 2 should be coming over the next few days. I wanted to post it all together but it was ridiculously long and I figured it's easier to break it in half. They both happen during the day Tommy and Jude spend at the infirmary together - this part is the afternoon and Part 2 will be the night.

Thank you so much to everyone for reading and reviewing! I love reading your comments and appreciate them greatly. :) I hope you like this part and look forward to the next one. ENJOY!

* * *

"One more time, Jude," Tommy commands, getting his fingers in place on the guitar. 

"Ugh…seriously Tommy, could you at least _try_ easing up a little on the perfectionist thing? In case you haven't noticed, this isn't a studio and we're not recording a platinum album here," I remind him, beckoning to our surroundings of his tiny room in the infirmary.

Tommy rolls his eyes but doesn't move his hands away from his guitar. "Do you want this song to be good or great?"

"Right now, I just want to get through it without hurling," I mutter, barely audible.

He takes a deep breath, ignoring my comment, and looks at me pleadingly. "One more time? Please?"

I smile widely at his graciousness and nod. "Thank you. That's much better. I'll sing it one more time just because you asked so nicely."

"Don't get used to it," he mumbles, starting to strum the guitar lightly. "It's just the meds."

I overtly glare at him but ready myself to start singing regardless. Nothing shuts him up better than me singing him straight out of the room.

He continues to strum the guitar then nods at me as I take a deep breath, wait for the right beat, and start singing.

_"Here before my eyes, many roads ahead_

_Time for me to choose one way now_

_If I take a chance_

_What lies down the road_

_Feeling so confused, turned round_

_On and on, on and on…"_

I glance at Tommy hesitantly but he nods and keeps playing.

_"Over my shoulder, it's tough getting older…yeah…_

_Seems like nothing is black and white anymore_

_Shades of grey and I feel a weight over my shoulder_

_It's tough getting older_

_I always thought that I knew where I'd want to go_

_Now I'm here and I find that I'm still getting colder_

_It's kinda tough getting older…"_

I end the chorus and look up at him questioningly. He stops playing as a small smile surfaces on his face.

"That was really good," he says encouragingly.

"Really?" I ask, reviewing the crumpled piece of paper with our lyrics sitting on my lap.

"Yeah, I liked it," he replies, placing his guitar beside him. "Although it's pretty mature for you, Harrison."

I scrunch my eyebrows at him. "Am I not normally mature?"

He laughs lightly, running a hand through his still messy hair. "No…I just mean…it's…different. It's been awhile since you and I wrote anything together, so it's kind of nice to see how you've changed."

I shrug slightly, looking down at the floor. "I'm still the same girl. My life is just more…complicated now," I say, stumbling a bit for the right word.

I can feel the intensity from Tommy's gaze even though my eyes stay glued to the white floor beneath me. My mind starts to wander, reflecting on what my life was like the last time he and I wrote a song together…or more accurately, the song that he wrote for me on my birthday. I feel my heart flutter at the mere memory of the song and him singing it to me…

Snapping back into reality, I nervously clear my throat, trying to push the memory out of my mind, and turn back towards the paper in my lap.

"So, umm…do you think it's better to go back to the first verse for the bridge or—"

"Jude," he interrupts, his tone serious. His hand goes to my knee which, even though is covered by a blanket, feels a quick spark at his touch. "Do you want to…talk…about any of this?"

"Any of what?" I ask, feigning ignorance.

"I don't know…anything, I guess," he says, retracting his hand. "It just seems like things are tough for you right now and I guess…well…if you need a friend…"

I can't help but release a small grin at him in response, genuinely appreciative of his offer.

"Thanks, but I think I'm okay. Really," I say with more emphasis, looking into his eyes. "It's cool. I'll eventually figure everything out…one way or another."

He nods in understanding, though an awkward silence settles over both of us. Feeling the need to lighten the mood, I opt to change the subject.

"So, you think Nicole is surviving on her day off alone?"

He smirks softly at my question, shaking his head. "She'll be fine. Trust me, that girl knows more people than either of us combined. I'm sure she'll figure something out."

"I'm sure you're right," I reply with fake enthusiasm and a wide smile.

Almost immediately, I can tell by the look on his face that he's picked up on my phony excitement. He eyes me skeptically, then leans back against the bed behind us and emits a knowing smirk.

"So," he says, his eyes showing his own amusement, "I think it's time you just admit it."

"Admit what?"

"Admit that you don't like Nicole," he says bluntly, eliciting a look of surprise from me.

I open my mouth to disagree, knowing my argument will be unconvincing. "No…I mean, that's not entirely true. I….I just don't know her that well."

"You know her well enough to know you don't like her," he points out. "Even though you're trying to be friendly and help her with her music, I know you, Jude. You don't like the girl."

I hate it when he's right.

I bite my lip, feeling torn. If I admit to not liking her, will I need to tell him why? Should I just tell him the truth? Can I even do that?

"See, you don't," he says, looking at my expression. "I can read you like a book, Jude."

I sigh in defeat. "Okay…so maybe she's not my all-time favorite person. I just think…well…maybe you can do better."

His brows raise at my comment. "She's the sister of the camp director. How high up do you want me to go? Marion herself?"

I can't help but snort at his question, imagining Tommy pursuing Darius' mother. "No…that's not what I meant. I just…well…why do you like her? What do you see in her?"

Tommy's expression becomes more thoughtful at my question, his gaze appearing distant. "She's different, I guess. She doesn't really care about my days in Boyz Attack. She's got drive to make it in this industry. And she's smart. She knows how to get what she wants."

I nod slowly, processing his words. His last point is definitely valid – she does know how to get what she wants.

"I don't know," he finishes with a shrug. "She's a cool girl. I like hanging out with her."

I nod again with more certainty, unable to disagree with any of his points.

"Okay," I say, as though I understand.

"You're not convinced," he remarks perceptively, watching me. "Okay, then let's turn the tables. Why _don't_ you like her?"

I feel my cheeks instantly flush at his question and my heart pounds harder. My mind starts working in overdrive to try to think of what to say.

"Ummm…well," I start, gulping loudly, "I guess…I've had this feeling that maybe she isn't totally…genuine."

"Not genuine?"

"Yeah…" I say, feeling the room grow warm. "I mean …I guess I just don't know if she's…real."

He scrunches his brows at me and I mentally repeat my own words back. Okay, so that made absolutely no sense. But I don't know how to say what I'm thinking…

"Umm, okay…" he starts, scratching his head. "Care to elaborate?"

Not really. Ugh! Why is this so hard??

"I just…I want you to be happy, Quincy," I say, gazing at him sincerely. "And I don't know if she wants that too. I feel like she's really wrapped up in herself."

He appears reflective for a few moments before saying, "Maybe she is a little. But I don't think that means she doesn't care about me."

"Yeah, I guess," I start cautiously. "But sometimes I think she cares more about herself and you don't deserve that. You deserve someone who's considerate and compassionate…someone who's truly interested in your happiness in addition to her own."

His eyes widen at my words, visibly surprised by my honesty. And quite frankly, I'm surprised as well.

He takes a few moments to think to himself before his eyes meet mine again, this time with a more serious look. I have this sense that he's about to ask something important, something that he's debating on whether or not to ask.

I'm bracing myself for another question on Nicole as his voice sounds quietly, "And what about you? Do you think Jamie is that person for you?"

A small gasp inadvertently escapes from my mouth at the sound of his question.

"I…I…I don't know…" I answer truthfully. I look down at the tiled floor, the possible answers to his question circulating throughout my mind.

"Does he make you happy?" Tommy asks, his voice soft.

I exhale deeply, trying to calm my sudden nerves, and offer a small shrug. "I don't know," I say again. "I thought he would, but now…I don't know."

Tommy stays quiet at my response though his eyes remain on me and I can tell he's trying to read my expression. I sigh and turn to lean back against the bed next to him, running my fingers through my hair.

"He almost cares _too_ much about me," I admit. "It's to the point where if I don't pay enough attention to him or constantly show him that he's important to me, he gets upset."

"Do you care about him?"

"Of course," I respond quickly through a sideways glance. "I've known him forever and we've been through so much, how could I not care about him?"

"But do you care about him in the same way that he cares about you?"

I bite my lip, knowing exactly what he's trying to ask. I shift my eyes away from his intense gaze and shake my head slightly.

"I don't know…" I say again, hesitation coming through in my voice.

A quiet falls over both of us and I find myself really thinking about his questions. In some strange way, Jamie and Nicole are actually opposites – one cares too much, the other too little. But in the end, neither of them knows or wants to know what's best for us. So then, am I being hypocritical by telling him that Nicole's not right with him? If Tommy deserves someone better, don't I too?

Breaking the uncomfortable silence, a knock is heard on his door. Startled, we both turn towards the door, seeing the nurse's head peek into the room.

"The doctor is here to see you both," she informs us, sparking my memory of a doctor who comes to visit the camp once a day. "Let's go – we need both of you in the main room out front now."

We both nod though neither of us moves from our spot on the ground.

She leaves the door ajar and wanders back down the hall. I hear Tommy sigh beside me and start to move, pushing himself up to a standing position. He looks down at me and wordlessly lowers his hands towards me. I look up at him in hesitation, but grab his hands, allowing him to pull me up from the floor.

"We can continue this later," he says gently as I stand, offering me a faint but comforting grin.

I nod in response. "Okay."

Silently, we exit the room together, heading up the hall towards the door to the main room. He opens it for me, allowing me to go first, and I step into the main infirmary room outside of the sleeping quarters.

There are a few other people in there who aren't staying overnight, waiting around to take medicine or talk to the nurse. As I glance around the room at them, I hear,

"Miss Harrison? Mr. Quincy? Please come over here," Nurse Jabson hollers from the far corner of the room. "We don't want either of you mingling with our healthy campers."

We follow her orders and make our way to the other side of the room where a doctor in a white lab coat is sitting at a small table writing something on a clipboard.

"Mr. Quincy, you're first," the nurse instructs, leading Tommy over towards the doctor. I take a seat in an open chair nearby and turn to watch the other campers and counselors around the room. My eyes are instantly drawn to two figures near the front door who seem to be in the midst of a close conversation.

As I focus on their faces, I realize that one of the figures is Amy. And the person she's talking to is Josh, the director. They're talking quietly, appearing to be completely absorbed in each other, as she laughs at something he says. He then hands her a small yellow paper, which she tucks away in her pocket, before smiling and saying a few parting words. She then turns to walk further into the main room as he exits the infirmary.

"Amy," I call out, just loud enough to get her attention but quiet enough for the nurse not to hear. She glances in my direction and then sees me, her smile growing even wider.

"Hey," she says, walking over towards me. "How are you feeling?"

"Fair," I reply with a shrug. "I'm waiting to see the doctor. What are you doing here?"

"I'm with Lauren," she says, pointing to our camper who's seated on one of the chairs on the other side of the room. "She thought it would be fun to dive from her bed to Jessica's, but she missed and hurt her knee."

"Ouch," I respond.

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty," she replies with a shake of her head, her gaze drifting over to notice Tommy sitting with the doctor. "Is that Tommy?"

"Yeah," I confirm, following her gaze. "He's sick too."

"Really?" she asks in surprise. "So you and Tommy are both sick? Together?"

"Yeah," I say. "It's not so bad really. If I have to be stuck here on my day off, at least I'm not totally alone."

"Not so bad? Jude, come on…you're happy he's here," she says with a knowing smile.

I shrug, holding back the smile that wants to be released. "Maybe. It's been kind of nice spending time with him again."

"Uh huh," she says with a glimmer in her eye.

I quickly decide to disregard her insinuation and change the subject. "So, what's going on? I saw you talking to Josh."

"Oh yeah," she says, shrugging. "He just gave me my schedule for the week."

"Uh huh," I say slowly, mimicking the tone she used on me moments earlier. "That looked like more than just a schedule exchange to me."

"What?" she asks, as I wiggle my brows at her suggestively. "No…really, it's Josh. He's the director and my boss. He was trying to be nice and tell some stupid joke, to which I faked laughter and took my schedule. That was it."

"Okay…" I say skeptically, drawing out the word.

"Anyway," she starts, ignoring my reaction, "When are you coming back to the bunk? I'm only halfway through the day and I already want to shoot myself."

I laugh lightly, sympathizing with her frustration. "Hopefully the doctor will give me a relatively clean bill of health so I can go back to the bunk tomorrow."

"That would be great," she says, a mischievous grin emerging on her face. "Although I know how much you value your Tommy Time."

My cheeks blush at her usage of my private name for my time with Tommy. "I told you not to repeat that! Especially in public!"

She laughs lightly at me and starts to walk away, exclaiming loudly, "Okay, well, feel better. And try not to swap saliva with him…it could make you sicker!"

"Amy!" I shout in humiliation, my face now beet red. All eyes in the room turn to look at me and I cover my face in embarrassment, praying that Tommy didn't hear her little outburst.

Great…now I have a stomach ache, mild fever, and heart palpitations. Could this day get any worse?

* * *

PS: Lyrics are Colbie Caillat's "Older" 


	28. Chapter 27, Part II

Hi again - new chapter! I think you're all going to like this one - there's enough Jommy in it to last you for awhile. :) Though don't forget that Jude's problems are far from gone...:) Apologies in advance for any mistakes or if there are parts that don't flow too well...nothing has been beta'ed, although it probably should've been. And thanks to everyone for all of your comments! They all make me so happy and really keep me going. Let me know what you think on this chapter - I really hope you like it.

Lyrics are Colbie Caillat. ENJOY!

* * *

"_Seems like nothing is black and white anymore_

_Shades of grey and I feel a weight over my shoulder_

_It's tough getting older_

_I always thought that I knew where I'd want to go_

_Now I'm here and I find that I'm still getting colder_

_It's kinda tough getting older_

_Seems like nothing is black and white anymore_

_Shades of grey and I feel a weight over my shoulder_

_It's tough getting older…"_

I finish singing and glance at Tommy, who slows the guitar and smiles at me. As the room becomes quiet again, a round of applause is heard and I smile widely for the five campers sitting around us as our audience. Nurse Jabson is standing in the back also clapping as Tommy takes the guitar off his lap and puts it down beside him.

"Thank you," I say, looking at their excited expressions. "You guys really liked it?"

"It was awesome!" Michael shouts, wearing his blue pajamas with the footsies again.

"I loved it!" another camper, Melanie, exclaims. Everyone genuinely seems to like the song, including both me and Tommy, which is something we haven't experienced in a long time.

"Thank you very much, Miss Harrison and Mr. Quincy," the nurse says, a smile on her face as she makes her way to the front of the common room, where we're all seated. Her smile then drops as she looks at the campers and says, "But I'm sorry to announce that it's time for bed."

"Already?" Michael questions. "Can't they sing one more song??"

"No, I'm sorry," Mrs. Jabson says. "It's bedtime."

Michael pouts at her response, to which I say quickly, "Tommy and I can sing more tomorrow. You can even pick the song if you want."

His eyes light up, nodding quickly. "Okay...thanks!"

He gets up and heads towards his room as the rest of the campers say a quick goodnight to Tommy and I and file out after him. We're still sitting on the benches in the common room as Nurse Jabson looks at us questioningly and says, "Well, come on. Bedtime for you both too."

Tommy's brows raise as he looks at the clock. "Seriously? It's 9:00."

"Yes, Mr. Quincy," she says, opening the door and beckoning for us to leave. "Bedtimes are the same for everyone here, whether you're a camper or a counselor."

Tommy and I glance at each other in irritation, but both of us stand up and follow her instructions, heading down the hall towards our respective rooms to go to sleep.

- - -

Half an hour later, I'm tossing and turning, unable to even close my eyes. I haven't gone to sleep at 9:00 since I was in fifth grade. And since I actually took a nap today, that makes the likelihood of sleeping now extremely low.

I sit up in my bed, looking around the dark room. I could pull out some paper and keep working on my song, but I'm not feeling creative right now…I'm just feeling antsy. Like I need to get out.

I spot the pile of playing cards on the bedside table and remember swiping them from the common room earlier in the day. I bite my lip and contemplate my options: Solitaire, Solitaire, or more Solitaire. Hmmm…as much as I relish playing cards by myself, it would be more fun to play with someone else. Someone who might also be awake…someone who's not a camper…with blue eyes and funny flannel pajamas…

Without a moment's hesitation, I grab the cards off the table and hastily get out of bed. I walk towards the door and press my ear against it, listening for any sign of Nurse Jabson in the hallway. Only hearing silence, I slowly open the door, sticking my head out just far enough to scan the scene.

Not seeing or hearing anything, I carefully step foot outside my room, quietly closing the door behind me. Then, holding my breath, I dart down the hall as fast as I can, feeling my heart beat quickly at my rebellious actions.

As I reach Tommy's door, I pause for a moment, questioning whether or not to knock. But out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow appear at the far end of the hallway, as though someone were about to enter the sleeping quarters. Jumping at the sight, I instantly turn the knob and let myself into his room, quickly shutting the door behind me.

I close my eyes and lean back against the door, breathing heavily and trying to calm my racing heart.

"I'm sorry, miss, but I didn't order any room service," I hear, opening my eyes enough to see Tommy sitting on his bed watching me amusedly.

I sigh, my heart rate finally returning to normal, and roll my eyes at him.

"I couldn't sleep," I explain with a shrug.

"So you figured you'd wake me up too?" he asks.

"You weren't sleeping," I claim knowingly, taking a step away from the door.

He offers a small nod of agreement, then starts to get out of bed. "So, what exactly did you have in mind?"

I dig into my pocket, pulling out what I came here for.

"Go fish?" I ask with a weak smile, holding the cards up so he can see them.

"You mean to tell me," he starts, standing across from me, "that you broke out of your room, ran down the hallway, and disturbed my peaceful relaxation just to play a game that you suck at?"

I furrow my brow at him, putting the cards back into my pocket. "Fine. If you don't want to play, I'll just go back to my own room to play Solitaire."

"Alright, alright," he says, taking a seat on the floor where we wrote the song before. "Let's play."

I smile in triumph and walk over to sit down across from him. I pull out the cards and begin to shuffle slowly, making sure every card is mixed perfectly.

"You're going to put me to sleep here, Jude."

"Okay, okay," I say, distributing the cards. "Let's go."

- - -

Two hours later, I'm lying back on the tiled floor while Tommy is still sitting across from me.

"Do you have any queens?" he asks.

I exhale loudly and reach for my cards that are lying beside me, flashing them in front of my eyes.

"Just take them all," I urge, dazedly sitting up and handing him my cards.

He smirks at me and shakes his head. "May I remind you who wanted to play this game in the first place?"

"I know," I admit. "But I thought it could be my redemption from this morning."

"I hate to break it to you, Jude, but I think card games just aren't your thing," he says, snatching my cards out of my hand.

"Thanks," I reply with a scowl.

Instead of watching him organize my cards with his own, I glance over at the clock on his bedside table.

"It's official," I announce. "We've missed our one chance to get out of this place for a day."

His eyes follow mine towards the clock, seeing that it's getting close to midnight and the end of our day off. He turns back to me and shrugs, saying, "It wasn't that bad."

"Agreed," I remark as he puts the cards back into their box. "Although it would've been nice to be back in reality for awhile...I could've slept in my own bed, watched TV, drank real coffee…"

"True," Tommy says with an edge of skepticism. "Although I actually think I like being removed from everything. Not the infirmary per se, but just this place in general."

I raise my brows at him, turning to lean back against the bed. "You mean, you actually like being at camp?"

He grins at me through a sideways glance, "Don't sound so shocked. I'm not opposed to being outside and living the simple life."

"So…you enjoy living like Paris and Nicole?" I joke with a snicker, watching him slide into the spot next to me.

"Very funny," he replies with a shake of his head. "I'm just saying, I'm not opposed to living without any big luxuries."

I cock an eyebrow at him, questioning who this all-natural Tommy is. "Seriously? But your cars and clothes…your hairdryer…you could really be happy living without those things?"

"Definitely," he replies with a nod. "I don't need those things to be happy. They're nice to have, but I'm cool with water instead of hair gel and my own two feet instead of my car. Remember, I did backpack through Asia…"

At the sound of his words, the easygoing atmosphere immediately dissipates and an uncomfortable silence settles over us. His mention of Asia instantly brings me back to the decision I made and the trip he took without me, unexpectedly feeling a pang of remorse for my actions.

"Yeah…I remember…" I say, almost inaudibly, my gaze downward towards the floor.

We both remain silent, the words lingering between us. A sense of tension penetrates the room and I'm starting to think that visiting him wasn't such a good idea. But as the discomfort grows just heavy enough to crush us both, he breaks the silence.

"Do you ever…" he starts, his voice wavering a bit in hesitation. I glance over at him as he struggles to say what he's thinking.

"Do you ever think about it?" he asks softly, his eyes meeting mine.

The intensity of his gaze makes me look away, exhaling deeply, thinking about his question. "About the trip? Of course…"

"Do you ever think about how things would be…different?" he asks.

I feel my heart starting to pound harder in my chest, his questions putting me on edge.

"Yeah," I admit faintly. "Sometimes."

His eyes settle downward again as he plays with the edge of his flannel shirt. He takes a deep breath before quietly saying, "So do I…"

I glance over at him tentatively, stunned by his words. Our eyes meet, a flicker of uncertainty flashing between us, as he softly adds, "All the time."

My heart is threatening to leap out of my chest at his confession, not knowing how to react. Part of me wants to wrap my arms around him and make his hesitation disappear. I want him to know that I care about him…that those memories of my decision haunt me every night. I want to tell him how much I've thought about him and how much I still do. But I swallow my inner thoughts and look away, afraid to show him what I'm thinking.

But before I have a moment to process what's happening, I feel his hand lightly touch my cheek, urging my eyes back up to meet his. I reluctantly look into his eyes and am surprised to see that his expression has changed from one of uncertainty to one of affection and warmth, but even more, one of longing.

As I look into his eyes, my heart nearly skips a beat and I realize exactly what's happening between us and what might happen next. If I don't say something and stop this now, we could do something we might regret later.

But stifling all of my worries and questions, his other hand gently brushes my cheek, and all I can feel is myself melting against him, his touch sending sparks throughout my body.

I close my eyes for a moment, savoring the sensations his actions are causing, but quickly re-open them to make sure this is all really happening. I meet his gaze and find that we're slowly drifting closer towards each other. Within seconds, I feel his warm breath against my lips, making my pulse race even more. I close my eyes and hold my breath, anticipating his next move.

A moment later, I feel his lips gently brush against mine, sending a jolt down my spine. At the feel of his lips, I instinctively place one of my hands on his cheek, feeling the slight stubble he's developed over the last couple of days. I lean forward to meet his lips more fully as one of his hands runs down my back, pulling me towards him.

I feel a wave of butterflies unleash in my stomach as our lips start to connect with greater intensity. The energy between us surges and I feel his tongue lightly graze against mine, a small moan escaping my mouth. Without any hesitation, I reciprocate his actions, sweeping my tongue against his and hearing him emit a quiet groan in response.

The heat in the room continues to escalate as our kiss deepens. I begin to lose all sense of reality, feeling as though we're being transported to another time and place. My only thoughts are of the two of us and the fire that's ignited between us.

I start to feel the need for oxygen, interrupting my wistful state, and slow down my actions. I pull away slightly, just enough to catch my breath. I hear him breathing heavily too, our foreheads resting together as we slowly start to drift back to reality.

I reluctantly open my eyes and begin to pull back a little more. His eyes slowly open and he gazes at me, his eyes glazed over in a daze.

And that's when it hits me.

Oh my god.

Oh my god.

Did that really just happen?

My mind begins to race as my eyes scan the room, remembering where we are and what we're doing here.

Oh my god. Oh my god.

The room abruptly becomes awkward and uncomfortable, the silence only making it worse. I glimpse at him, seeing his own inner turmoil reflected back, and suddenly find myself feeling overwhelmed.

How do I handle this? What do I say? What the hell did we just do??

I take a deep breath and clear my throat, preparing myself to say the only logical thing I can think of.

"I should go."

Without waiting for him to respond, I start to stand up, my legs feeling shaky beneath me. The room is spinning and I can't tell if it's my sickness or the effect of what just happened.

I glimpse at him one more time, seeing him still seated on the floor, and add, "Thanks for…playing cards with me."

His expression remains flat as I turn to leave. I begin to walk towards the door, my breathing shallow and my steps ragged. But as I reach the door, I feel a hand on my arm. I turn around to look at him, instantly noticing his brighter eyes and more relaxed demeanor.

"Why don't you…stay," he says quietly, his voice husky.

The electricity between us that existed mere moments ago returns and I find myself struggling between what I want to do and what I think I should do.

"Really?" I ask faintly, unsurely.

He nods, then glances down in reflection. "We don't have to…you know…," he starts, looking back up and into my eyes, "I just…think it would be nice."

I bite my lip in hesitation, though I start to picture actually staying with him and being in this room for the night.

Just because I've dreamed about sleeping in the same bed with Tommy doesn't mean that it's okay…I mean, we're both dating other people and this must be rule number one – don't sleep in another guy's bed.

But then again…it's not just a random guy, it's Tommy. Tommy who I trust. Tommy who I care about. Tommy who I just made out with…

No, no…it's a bad idea…right?

"We probably shouldn't," I say timidly, "I mean, I could get you sick."

A small smile emerges on his face as he replies, "I think we might be past that point."

I can't help but smile in response, releasing a light laugh and feeling the uneasiness between us fade. I think to myself for a few moments about his offer, my head still screaming at me to go back to my room. But seeing the sincere and affectionate look in his eyes tells me that this is exactly where I want to be.

I exhale deeply and offer a slight nod in agreement. "Okay."

He smiles a contented smile and reaches for my hand, taking me over towards his bed. I scan the bed quickly, realizing that like my own, it's more like a cot. It's tiny and I start to wonder how we're both going to fit.

But before I can express any doubts, he climbs in and slides all the way to the far end, then turns towards me. I take a deep breath and smile at him, my stomach doing a weird mix of flips and tumbles.

He pats the spot next to him and I climb in, sliding my feet under the covers. He gently moves me so that my back is against his chest. He pulls the blankets up and over us as I put my head on the pillow, feeling him snuggle up against me.

I can't help but smile widely as he wraps an arm around me, pulling me into him and resting his head right behind mine. My heart is going wild, which I'm sure he can hear, as I let out a long sigh and try to relax against him.

Before I can get too comfortable though, I feel his lips against my ear and hear his whispered voice, "Good night, Jude."

I shiver slightly from the sound of his voice, which earns a quiet smirk from him. I lightly elbow him behind me and he laughs softly, but pulls me closer to him, laying his head back on the pillow.

I exhale again and feel my heart rate finally subside and my anxiety fade. And as my eyes finally close and sleep comes to me, all I can think about is how perfect this day off turned out to be.


	29. Chapter 28

Hi guys! Here's the next chapter for you. There's a lot packed into this chapter - you'll see it's pretty long - but there's a lot to cover, including a cute little discovery at the end. :) I hope it flows fairly smoothly despite all of the different things going on, and of course, I hope you like it!

Thanks so much to everyone for reading and especially to those who post comments. All of your posts mean the world to me, so please, keep 'em coming! This chapter picks up the morning after we left off...so I hope you all ENJOY!

* * *

I wake up with a startle, feeling a cramp in my leg. As I attempt to stretch out while keeping my eyes closed, I feel something draped over my leg preventing me from moving. I flex my foot to relieve the pressure and feel the edge of another foot…one that isn't my own. I start to take in all of the other elements around me – the soft breathing in my ear, the faint musky smell, the warmth radiating from behind me. There's something else wrapped around my waist, keeping me locked in place. 

It is at this point that my eyes fly open and I realize where I am. My gaze instantly lands on the arm around me, the fingers resting comfortably against my own. I bite my lip as a wave of butterflies rush into my stomach, remembering exactly how I fell asleep.

I glance over at the clock and see the bright numbers radiate back at me: 6:16am. I release the breath I had unknowingly been holding and ease back against Tommy, allowing myself to enjoy the moment for a just a little longer. The nurse is probably awake by now, so I can't stay here for too long, but it's worth savoring for a few more minutes.

I lay quietly, listening to the sound of his breathing, and I smirk to myself at the absurdity of this situation. I had planned to talk to Jamie about our relationship on our day off, but I somehow got sidetracked and wound up in bed with Tommy. Yeah…that'll be an interesting one to explain.

All I know is that here I am, happier and more content than I've been in a long time. And the irony of this whole situation is that I chose Jamie because he was the safer option, but lying here with Tommy makes me feel safer than I ever have before.

The memory of the kiss we shared last night still echoes in my mind, instinctively making me smile widely. It's been too long since I felt the passion and excitement that only Tommy's kisses give me. And with that kiss came a surge of emotions, reminding me of how I've always felt about him.

Glancing back at the clock and seeing it now ten minutes later, I groan internally, knowing that I need to get up. I look down at his arm and contemplate how I'm going to move without waking him. I gradually turn onto my back, feeling him adjust to my new position. Cautiously, I try to slide his arm off of me, keeping one eye on him to make sure he doesn't waken. I slowly move it enough to sit up, but as I start to slip out from under his grasp, I feel his arm move back to my waist and firmly pull me back down so that I'm lying beside him.

I glance over at him as my head hits the pillow again and see a small smile emerge on his face, though his eyes are still closed. I can't help but smile back, even though he can't see me, and sigh in defeat.

"Since when are you the early riser?" he asks softly, his voice husky from sleep.

"The nurse is going to be checking on us soon. And I really don't think it's a good idea for her to find us together, do you?"

His lids remain closed but he shrugs and pulls me in closer. "It'll give a nice shock to her system."

"Uhh yeah, and get us both kicked out of camp," I remark with raised brows.

He smirks quietly but doesn't budge. "Well, this isn't really _that _bad…"

"Okay…so then _you_ can explain to Nurse Crabson why we're both here," I reply with a grin, using Amy's nickname.

He opens one eye and looks at me skeptically for a few moments, before releasing his hold on me and turning onto his back. I take his shift as my cue to get up, sitting up and stretching for a minute before I climb out of bed, feeling his eyes on me the whole time.

Once standing, I turn back towards him, meeting his bright blue eyes buried somewhere between the disheveled hair and scruffy face. He looks like a mess but I honestly don't think I've ever been more attracted to him than I am right now.

His eyes stay on mine and I feel my knees grow weak, wanting to jump back in bed and kiss him. But he starts to move, throwing the blankets off of him and getting out of bed. I watch him in silence, my eyes undoubtedly expressing my internal longing.

He smiles gently at me as he stands and I feel myself fall back into reality.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"Walking you out," he replies with a smug grin, knowing he's being cute.

I roll my eyes but let him escort me to his doorway, turning towards him as we reach the exit. "If you were really a gentleman, you'd walk me to my door."

He nods in agreement, saying, "True. But given the circumstances, I think we'll have to take a rain check. Besides, it'll be fun to stand here and watch you do the walk of shame."

"This is not the walk of shame," I clarify, adding, "It's the run-my-ass-back-to-my-room-as-fast-as-humanly-possible shame."

He laughs lightly then steps forward towards the door, pressing his ear against it to hear any sign of the nurse. He turns the doorknob and peers outside, scanning the hallway for movement.

"All clear," he says, retreating back inside.

We both stand there gazing at each other for a few moments before I uneasily say, "Okay…well…thanks for…entertaining me last night."

He smirks lightly at my words. "Is that what that was?"

I can't help but snigger in response, both of us grinning stupidly at each other. "I don't know…you did entertain me at some point."

"Okay," he agrees with a nod. "Well then, thank you for…keeping me company."

I eye him mischievously, flash a knowing grin, and coyly respond, "Is that what that was?"

"Something like that," he says softly, grabbing my hands and edging in closer to me.

Oh my god…if he kisses me right now, I think I might faint.

As though he's reading my mind, he leans in slowly, tentatively, and places one soft kiss on my forehead, making my stomach immediately churn and sending a shiver through my body.

He then pulls back a little and looks at me, my eyes glazed over in a mix of happiness and dreaminess.

In my daze, I say softly, "Good night."

He smiles at me, his snicker barely audible, and corrects me, "Good morning."

At his words, I quickly snap out of my trance and shake my head. "Right – good morning. Or whatever…I'll see you later."

In my confusion, I turn the door handle and quickly slip outside his room, actually feeling relieved. But before I can get too comfortable, I scan the hallway and scurry back down the hall towards my own room, knowing that he's watching me through the crack in his doorway.

- - -

Three hours later, after a failed attempt to go back to sleep and a long and thorough exam from the doctor, I finally emerge into the common room, seeing the familiar faces around me.

"Good morning, Jude," one of the campers, Melanie, says as I enter.

"Morning," I say, my eyes drifting past her to meet Tommy's on the other side of the room. I try to suppress my smile, but it slowly comes to the surface as I take a seat on the bench across from Melanie. His eyes stay on mine and we share a knowing smile, as though we're in the loop on some big secret that everyone else is oblivious to.

"Miss Harrison," I hear from behind me, knowing the voice without needing to look, "the doctor suggested that you try to eat something."

I glance at the bowl full of bagels on the table as I say, "Yes, I remember, Mrs. Jabson. And I told the doctor that I would try."

"Please do," she says, stepping forward to place one of the bagels onto the plate in front of me. "You need your energy now that your fever is down."

I exhale deeply and begin to pick apart the bagel, not sure how much of it my stomach can take.

"Melanie," Nurse Jabson says, looking at the girl across from me. "It's your turn to see the doctor. Let's go."

"Ohhhhh," she whines, but slowly stands regardless, trudging towards the door.

As they leave, the room grows quiet, the only noise coming from the television in the corner. The remaining four campers are fixated on the screen, barely noticing my presence or Melanie leaving. The only one who seems to not care about the TV is Tommy, whose eyes are still set on me, making me self-conscious as I stick a piece of the bagel into my mouth.

Before I know what's happening, I see him stand up and slowly make his way towards me. He has a small grin on his face as he sits on the bench across from me, where Melanie was seated before.

"So," he starts quietly, "I think you ummm…left something in my room."

My eyes widen as I think what I could've possibly left there. I had my pants, socks and sweatshirt still on when I left…did I accidentally take off my underwear in my sleep?? I feel the blush start to creep onto my skin as I imagine taking off my pants and underwear, throwing my underwear across the room and slipping back into my pants, all while dead asleep.

Relieving my confusion, he digs into his pocket and pulls out my deck of cards, smirking lightly at me.

"Ahhh," I say in relief, taking the pile out of his hand. "Thanks."

"What did you think it was?" he asks, watching me put the cards into my pocket.

"Ummm…nothing," I mumble, shoving a piece of bagel into my mouth to avoid answering any more questions.

He nods doubtfully at me but thankfully doesn't press further.

"So," he starts, taking a bagel from the bowl, "how are you feeling?"

I clear my throat as I consider my options: Happy. Content. Slightly delirious.

"Better, thanks," I respond. "The doctor says I should be ready to leave this afternoon, as long as I can keep this bagel down."

"That's good," he replies with genuine interest. "I actually saw the doctor right before you did."

My eyes look to him questioningly as I say, "And?"

"And…it seems like I'm doing better too," he states flatly, looking down at his bagel in his hands. "Much better actually."

"Great," I say enthusiastically.

"Yeah," he replies pensively. His eyes then drift upwards towards mine and a grin appears on his face as he adds, "So we're both sick for a day and then amazingly get better. Must be some miracle cure or something."

An identical grin emerges on my face as I read into his statement. I nod and say, "Hmmm…maybe it was something in the water?"

"Maybe," he says in agreement with a full blown smile, his eyes locked on mine.

I continue smiling as I pick another piece of the bagel and pop it into my mouth.

"Oh, by the way," I start casually, lowering my voice, "you really should consider trying one of those nasal strips at night."

His brows raise as he looks at me incredulously. "Excuse me?"

"You know, the ones for people with snoring problems," I say, knowing full well the effect of my words. "What are they called…Breathe…Breathe Well…Breathe…."

"Breathe Right?" he asks, his brows still raised.

"Right! That's it," I say, shoving another piece of bagel into my mouth. "You really should look into those."

"Is that so?" he asks in response, followed by a wry smile. "Well, I've never had any complaints before."

Just as he puts a piece of his bagel into his mouth, I look at him with a barely visible smirk and ask, "And…exactly when was the last time you had a girl sleep in your bed who was actually sober?"

He instantly coughs on his bagel, as I snigger at his reaction. He's trying to hide his smile and act offended, but I can tell he's not.

I'm awaiting his usual sarcastic, smart-ass retort, but instead, he simply continues eating his bagel and mutters, "I do not snore."

Hmmm…his lack of response is puzzling…does that mean he hasn't slept with Nicole?

I decide to ignore my impulse to ask about who he's been sleeping with and instead offer a skeptical shrug. "Whatever you say, Quincy."

We remain quiet for a few minutes, appearing to be watching the television but occasionally sneaking glances at each other. Interrupting our unspoken banter, one of the campers sitting on the floor suddenly asks,

"Jude, are you leaving here today?"

I tilt my head to see Michael, the boy in the blue pajamas, staring back at me with wide eyes.

"Yep, buddy, I think I am," I say. "I'm heading out this afternoon."

"But you promised to sing another song!" he exclaims standing to his feet. His arms cross his chest as he looks at me pleadingly.

Oh no…and he's using the pout. I can never resist the pout.

I glance at Tommy to get his approval before saying, "You know what, you're right – I did say that. So we'll sing for you. One song – any one you want."

"Any song?"

"Yep. Just name it."

"Okay…" he says, scratching his head and thinking to himself. "Ummm…how about Sk8er Boi?"

I hear Tommy snort as I hold back my irritation. "Michael, honey, that's not actually my song…that's Avril. Don't you want to hear one of mine?"

He thinks to himself for a few moments, furrowing his brow, before asking, "What about 'Pick Up the Pieces?'"

Tommy immediately starts laughing as I exhale to myself and quietly mumble, "Also not one of my songs…but okay. If you want it, we'll sing it. Right, Mr. Quincy?"

"Whatever you say, Miss Harrison," he replies with a smile.

But before Tommy gets a chance to get his guitar, we all hear a voice from the doorway that's become more irritating than my own mother's.

"Miss Harrison, I need you to come take your medicine at once. The doctor says you need to take it as soon as you have food in your system."

I take a deep breath, suppressing my urge to punch her, and mutter, "Yes, Mrs. Jabson."

I glance at Michael and say quickly, "Don't worry. We'll sing for you right afterwards."

He nods back in understanding as I stand from my place on the bench. As I turn to follow the nurse out of the room, I hear Tommy quietly say, "Hey, maybe you should ask the nurse about your drooling problem."

I glare at him and reach down towards my plate, swiftly throwing the rest of my bagel directly at his head. "I do not drool."

He merely chuckles as I walk away, hearing Mrs. Jabson start to lecture on not throwing food.

- - -

A few hours later, after an embarrassing rendition of "Pick Up the Pieces" where Tommy and I ended up dancing more than singing, I'm standing in the main room of the infirmary with my bag re-packed, ready to return to my bunk. The nurse is having us fill out forms before we leave documenting every single thing that happened over the last 24 hours.

After I've basically signed my life away, I turn to look at Tommy who's finishing up as well. His flannel pajamas have been replaced with jeans, and he's managed to disguise his messy hair with a hat.

"Now Miss Harrison, if you feel dizzy or queasy at all, please come back here at once. Understood?" the nurse asks as she collects my papers.

"Of course," I respond with an obliging smile.

"And the same goes for you, Mr. Quincy," she says to Tommy.

"Yes, Mrs. Jabson," he replies with a nod.

"Good," she finishes. "And don't forget to disinfect. A clean bunk is a happy bunk."

"Yes, Mrs. Jabson," we both say simultaneously.

At that, she shoos us out the door so that she can treat her other patients. We both grab our things and exit the main room, passing through the lobby and pushing open the door to take in our first breath of fresh air in over 24 hours.

We slowly walk down the steps outside, breathing deeply as we reach the bottom. It's the afternoon and I can hear the kids screaming from the soccer fields and the whistle blowing outside the swimming pool. A small smile graces my lips as I take in all of these sights and sounds I hadn't realized I was missing.

"See? You like it here too," Tommy says smugly, looking at my contented expression.

I smile wider and nod tentatively. "Okay, maybe I do…but it's just because the fresh air has affected my brain."

He laughs lightly as I continue to stand there, watching him closely. I'm suddenly starting to feel unsure of myself and how to handle this moment. Do I hug him? Kiss him? What's the appropriate thing to say after the past day we've spent together?

He grows quiet, as though he senses my hesitation.

"So…" I start, wanting to break the silence between us. "I guess…this is where we go our separate ways?"

I look at him questioningly, trying to read the expression on his face. His smile becomes more sincere as he puts his bag and guitar on the ground and steps forward to wrap his arms around me. I drop my bag to my side and timidly return the gesture.

"We're not going separate ways, Harrison," he says quietly, still in the hug. "We always end up going the same way."

I look up at him and smile, his words making my heart melt. I lean up and gently place a kiss on his cheek, smiling widely as I step back from his embrace. He's smiling back as I grab my bag again, tossing it over my shoulder.

"So I'll see you at songwriting then?" I ask.

He nods, grinning widely. "It's a date."

I flash him my best smile and then turn to walk away. I feel his eyes on me as I walk down the dirt road towards my bunk. I sneak a glance behind me as he picks up his bags and starts walking in the opposite direction.

I walk back to Girl's Camp in a daze. I'm feeling a renewed sense of energy and cheerfulness that I haven't felt in months. I feel like running around and jumping, writing music and singing at the top of my lungs.

As I make my way to my bunk, my head is still in the clouds and my smile has become a permanent fixture on my face. I vaguely remember that everyone is at free swim as I spot my bunk before me.

I take a deep breath and begin to mount the steps, but instantly stop when I hear a strange noise coming from inside. It sounds like banging…or maybe an animal…

Crap, if that mouse is back in our bunk, I'm seriously going back to the infirmary.

I tentatively take another step, dropping my bag on the porch lightly. I grab the first item I see, which is a broom, and ever so quietly make my way towards the door.

But as I get closer, I start to realize that it isn't an animal I'm hearing…or banging. It's more like...voices. Like…moaning voices…

I instinctively grip the broom tighter with one hand and gradually open the door with the other, feeling scared for some reason by whatever I might see. I'm holding my breath as I edge my way inside, the sounds growing even louder.

I step foot into the room that Amy and I share, half closing my eyes in anticipation. But as I open them fully, my jaw immediately drops at the scene before me.

There, in Amy's bed, is Amy herself. With a guy.

But not just any guy.

Oh my god.

She's with the director.

Second in command.

Our boss.

Nicole's obnoxious brother.

She's with—

"Josh?!"


	30. Chapter 29

Hi everyone! I have the next chapter ready - I edited this really quickly, so I apologize in advance for any errors.

I know some of you were surprised by the Amy-Josh pairing but you'll see at the beginning of this chapter that it's actually a rather good situation for Jude. :) And hopefully you'll all start to like them too, because Amy needs to get some action too, lol!

This chapter picks up right where we left off, when Jude walks in on them hooking up. Thank you so much for all of your amazing comments - please keep letting me know what you think! And Enjoy!!

* * *

"Josh?!"

At the sound of my voice, Josh immediately jumps up, both of their eyes flying back towards me

At the sound of my voice, Josh immediately jumps up and both of their eyes dart towards me. My jaw is dropped and my eyes are wide as I start to realize exactly what I'm witnessing.

Amy is totally getting it on with the camp director!

Oh. My. God!

"Jude!" Amy immediately yells.

Josh jumps off of her, luckily still wearing boxers, and looks completely panicked. My eyes bounce back and forth between them in disbelief

"What the—where—how long have you—" I start, my words a jumbled mess as Josh swiftly grabs his t-shirt and throws it on while Amy reaches for the towel next to her bed and wraps it around herself.

"Jude, this isn't—what you're seeing, it's not—" he starts, running a hand through his hair which is sticking up all over the place.

"Oh really? So…you two aren't hooking up in my bunk during fifth period?" I ask, my sarcasm sharp as a knife.

They look at each other uncertainly, as though mentally trying to coordinate their thoughts, but I simply roll my eyes and groan loudly.

"Hello? Will someone explain to me what is going on??" I exclaim, flailing my arms around in frustration.

My eyes settle on Amy, knowing that she's the one who owes me an explanation. She meets my gaze and glances quickly at Josh before saying quietly,

"Well…we're sort of…together…"

I cross my arms and silently wait for her continue.

"Yeah…we're together. And we have been for…umm…about…two weeks?"

"Two weeks?" I repeat in disbelief. "You mean…you two have been getting it on for two weeks without me knowing?"

"No one knows," Josh interjects, his voice firm.

Silence settles between us as I take in all of this newfound knowledge. Their flirtation in the infirmary yesterday, her mysterious day off, her amazingly good schedule every week…it's all starting to make sense.

"Well, I guess I won't be setting you up with Wally like I wanted," I mutter, glancing at Amy.

Amy wraps the towel around her tighter and gets up from her bed, slowly approaching me.

"Jude," she starts, her voice sounding more serious than I've ever heard, "no one knows because we can't tell them. We can't say anything. It needs to be a secret."

I watch her closely as she's speaking, her eyes pleading with mine. I glance over at Josh who's finished putting his pants on and is wearing an equally worried expression.

"Please, you can't say anything," she continues. "If this gets out, Josh will lose his job…we both will…you know how Darius feels about relationships between co-workers."

I can't help but smirk at her comment, completely understanding his policy, which is basically that there is no policy because it is not allowed.

I nod sympathetically, sighing to myself and knowing that I have no choice but to keep this a secret.

As I take a deep breath, preparing myself to concede, Josh's voice resounds across the room.

"We'll do whatever you want," he says determinedly.

Wait—what?

"Anything—just name it," he declares. "Just please don't say a word of this to anyone."

Hmmmm….

He'll do whatever I want? Anything?

Now _this_ could be interesting.

My brows raise at his statement as I seriously start to consider it.

"Anything?" I ask to confirm, to which he nods eagerly.

"Anything…as long as it doesn't mean losing my job," he says with a shrug. "You want more off periods? Better facilities for songwriting? Just name it."

Hmmm…what exactly would I like? Hmmm…

I bite my lip as an idea occurs to me.

It's wrong. I really shouldn't do it.

It's manipulative…it's mean…it's something Karma would do…

But…oh, what the hell.

"Your sister," I start tentatively, "I like her, don't get me wrong. She's great. But she needs to disappear from my songwriting program."

His eyes instantly widen, clearly surprised by my request. Amy looks shocked as well, not having any clue as to what's been going on with me and Tommy.

"It's not a big deal," I say, feeling the need to justify my demand. "I just think she…sometimes gets in the way. She likes to talk to Tommy and well…it's hard to work like that."

I try my best to appear innocent but I know they can sense my intentions. But given the situation, they really have no choice but to accept what I say.

Josh's expression changes to one of understanding as he nods slowly, "Consider it done."

"And she won't know it was me?" I ask, just to make sure I'm totally covered.

At the sound of my question, he takes a few steps closer to me and nods. "Not a word. So, do we have a deal?"

He holds out his hand for me to shake. I hesitate briefly for a moment but swallow any of my doubts and reach in to take his hand.

"It's a deal."

"So, first we had a picnic in the park. And then we walked through this big garden with lots of flowers. And then we went back to the hotel…," Karma starts, her voice building in anticipation.

"And?" I ask, prodding for more details.

"And…AND…your lousy boyfriend insisted that we watch pay per view movies all night!" she exclaims, throwing her arms up in the air. "He and Speed found 'Old School' on TV so they watched it about twenty times while I did my nails!"

I outwardly cringe at her description of their romantic night together, unfortunately spoiled by my third-wheel boyfriend.

"Yeah…I'm really sorry about that, Karma," I start. "He didn't know where else to go. Kyle and Wally went to some wrestling match outside Toronto and couldn't get an extra ticket, Sadie was stuck here and Kwest ended up staying with her. He didn't really have another choice."

"Yeah well, _my_ idiot boyfriend offered to take him," Karma replies with a huff. "He's the one who owes me big time."

"Did anyone hear where Nicole went?" I asked, trying to shift conversation away from Jamie.

"I think she went home with that friend of hers, Leslie maybe? Who knows," she replies with an eye roll.

I offer a quick shrug of indifference, but exhale quietly as I remember my little deal with Josh. It'll be so nice not having Nicole around. Then Tommy and I can just…be. Like we're supposed to be. No annoying girlfriends, no interruptions—

"Earth to Jude," Karma says to end my daydream, her eyes scrutinizing me suspiciously. "What gives?"

"What?" I ask in confusion, looking at her puzzled expression.

"What is with you?" she asks, sitting back against the couch in the staff lounge. "You're in this daze…do they still have you on meds?"

"No," I reply quickly.

"So then what is it?" she asks, furrowing her brow. "What is going on with you?"

"Nothing," I say, trying to act apathetic but knowing that my smile is coming through.

She eyes me for a few moments in silence, her gaze intense. Her eyes then widen as she exclaims in an animated whisper, "Oh my god! Did you find out more dirt on Nicole? Did Tommy tell you something about her that we can use??"

"No," I say, watching her expression drop. "No…in fact, I'm kind of rethinking our whole plan."

"What?" she asks, her brows raised. "Why?"

"Well, I just think maybe it's not necessary…I mean, Tommy's an adult. If he wants to date her, then he can. But maybe he needs to figure this stuff out on his own, you know?"

She pauses for a few moments before saying, "Jude, whatever happened to 'looking out for him' and 'teaching that bitch a lesson?"

"I never said I wanted to 'teach that bitch a lesson,'" I mumble in my defense.

"Whatever. I know you thought it," Karma says with a shake of her head. "My point is that your intentions have been good. You want to make sure that Tommy is happy and with the right girl…"

She stops mid-sentence and suddenly looks at me, her eyes widening again.

"Oh my god. Did you sleep with him?" she asks out of nowhere.

"What?" I respond, taken aback by her question. "No! I mean…not exactly…"

"Oh Jude," she says, her tone troubled as she leans back and sighs deeply, "Spill."

"There's nothing to spill," I say quietly, knowing that she can see right through my statement. "I mean, nothing serious at least…we just hung out and wrote music and…yeah, that was basically it."

"Liar," she says with a knowing grin. "You and Tommy Q totally got it on. And now you want to give up our plan because you think he's into you."

Crap. I hate it when she's right.

"Well…not exactly," I start carefully. "We did sort of…cross a line…" I say quickly and quietly, making sure no one is around to hear it, "but just a small line. There was no sex."

I watch Karma's face drop in disappointment, as I continue, "Besides, it's not about that. I really think that he knows what he's doing. If he wants to break things off with her, he will. And if not…well…I guess that's his decision."

"Seriously?" Karma asks skeptically, cocking her head at me. "So, you're telling me that you would be totally fine if he decides to stay with her?"

"I'd deal with it," I state with conviction. "I may not jump for joy, but it's his choice. He knows what makes him happy better than I do."

She scoffs loudly at my response, gazing down at her perfectly polished nails and mutters, "Delusional? Check."

I roll my eyes at her words. "I'm not delusional. I just want to handle this like an adult. If he wants to be with her, then I need to support him."

Karma shakes her head disapprovingly. "Fine. Let's say for the moment that he actually decides to break up with her on his own. Do you really think she's just going to accept that? After all the work and planning she's put into this, you think she's just going to willingly step out of the picture?"

I consider her words for a minute, biting my lip in thought. "I don't know…" I finally say.

"You _do_ know, Jude. You know that she's not giving up on him…which is why you need to stick to our plan. No matter what happens with the two of you, we need to make sure that he finds out who she really is so that she's gone for good. You owe him that much as a friend…or whatever it is that you two are."

I sigh loudly, looking at her closely. "Why are you suddenly so interested in seeing this plan work?"

"I just am," she replies vaguely. "I have my new album to worry about and you promised—"

"I know what I promised," I interject, remembering her claim over Tommy as her producer. "And that's the only reason?"

She shrugs and stands up in front of me. "That, and the fact that if I have to permanently share studio space with Nicole, I think I might wring my neck."

I nod in understanding, the thought of permanently working with Nicole being enough to make me want to vomit.

"Just think about it," she says more earnestly. "And don't forget that you have a boyfriend of your own."

"I know," I whine, putting my hands over my eyes in frustration.

"You have a boyfriend who ruined my day off, made me use up a full jar of nail polish, and…who happens to be standing about ten feet behind you."

I audibly gasp at her words, quickly turning my head to see Jamie talking to Speed. I exhale deeply, feeling my nerves subside at the realization that he hasn't overheard anything Karma and I have been saying.

"Jamie!" Karma cries out with a wide smile, waving to him, "I found Jude! She's right here!"

My eyes widen in panic as I look at her in surprise. Through gritted teeth, I say,

"What are you doing??"

She looks down at me with a satisfied smile and leans towards me slightly as I hear the guys approach. Quietly, she replies, "I babysat your boyfriend while you were getting some illicit action at the infirmary. Now, we're even. He's all yours."

I force myself to smile as I see Jamie walk in front of me. I push myself off the couch and give him a hug, while I see Karma yank on Speed's arm and pull him out of the room, probably to go make out.

"How are you feeling?" Jamie asks as I pull back, looking up at him.

"Better," I reply with a nod. "I'm still having trouble eating, so the doctor told me to take it easy, but I feel much better."

"That's good," he replies, his expression growing serious. "I was worried about you. Amy told me you were sick, but it sounded really bad."

"It was," I say, thinking about the first few hours of being sick. "It wasn't pretty. The stomach flu is the worst."

He nods in understanding then grows quiet for a few moments before saying, "And…I heard that you weren't exactly alone in the infirmary."

I instantly feel my cheeks start to blush at his comment, but attempt to deflect it by shrugging my shoulders. "Yeah…it turns out there was something going around."

"Did you two enjoy your stay?" he asks, a trace of bitterness evident in his voice.

"We were sick," I reply sharply. "It's not like it was a party."

I see him roll his eyes at my response, glancing away from me to scan the room. "Whatever," he mumbles.

I know what I'm supposed to do at this moment. I know I'm supposed to start a serious conversation with him where we discuss all of our issues, get them out in the open, and take whatever steps are necessary to make this situation better. But looking at him, feeling his pain from imagining me spending the last day with Tommy, I just can't bring myself to say it.

God, I'm such a coward.

I decide to postpone my actions a little longer and instead offer my best smile, gaze up at him, and say, "So, tell me about your day off."

He looks back at me, appearing a little surprised by my change in tone, but seems to relax a bit. "It was good…I mean, after Nicole refused to drive me home, I had to figure out somewhere to go. But Speed and Karma were nice enough to let me tag along."

At his words, I internally smirk at the memory of Nicole referring to Jamie as "the muppet."

"That's good, I'm glad it worked out. So what did you guys do?" I ask, trying to seem genuinely interested.

"Well, they wanted some alone time when we got there, so I managed to keep myself busy with the TV…" Jamie starts, recalling his afternoon surfing through channels and trying to find something worthwhile to watch.

As he continues his story, I begin to zone out and remember my own day off. A smile grazes my lips at the memory of waking up with Tommy and writing that song together. Realizing I have a goofy smile on my face, I act like I'm enthralled with Jamie's story for a few moments, hearing him talk about how many times in a row they watched 'Old School.'

But out of the corner of my eye, I spot Tommy sitting on the side of the room with none other than Nicole. They're sitting really close – too close. He has his arm wrapped around her and she's showing him some kind of pictures or something. He's laughing and smiling and quite honestly, looking perfectly content. I can't help but feel my stomach lurch at the sight, feeling my nausea from the day before start to rise again.

Suddenly, his eyes rise and meet mine across the room. I can sense his immediate change in expression as he looks at me, his eyes growing softer and even a little sympathetic. As I start to feel the heat from his gaze, I quickly turn away, trying to avoid showing him the emotions that are beginning to surface on my face.

"Jude? Are you okay?"

I turn back towards Jamie and force myself to smile and nod. "Yeah, sorry…I umm, just thought I felt sick again. But I'm okay. Keep going – I want to hear what happened after you guys went to dinner."

He nods tentatively, but continues his story. I maintain the outward smile but inside, I can't help but feel saddened, the vision of Tommy and Nicole burning in my mind. I mentally chastise myself for being so affected by the sight. I swallow the tears that are threatening to fall, continuing to hold the smile that's plastered on my face. It's not like I expected him to run to Nicole and immediately break up with her, but I guess I also didn't expect to see them together and happy so quickly. Quite frankly, I never really thought I'd see it again.

Damn't. I hate it when Karma's right.

There's no way in hell I'll ever be okay if he decides to stay with her.

One way or another, I have to get him to see who she really is.


	31. Chapter 30

Hi guys! I'm sorry for the delay, but here's chapter 30. Yay! It's a bit of a filler, but there's some good stuff in here including a turning point for Jude at the end.

Some bad news to report...I'm actually going away this week and won't be home until next Sunday. I'm going to try work on the chapter before I leave but I'm not sure when it'll be done. I'm going to work as fast as I can though to get it posted when I get back.

Thanks to everyone for reading and posting comments! You all are the best. :) Please keep letting me know what you think. And ENJOY!

* * *

So, I've decided that I'm just going to forget about it.

I'm going to completely ignore the fact that I saw Tommy being all happy and chummy with Nicole last night.

I'm going to walk into our first songwriting session today, be strong, and act like I don't care. Like last night didn't bother me one bit. Like I'm better than that.

But then, I see him.

Standing across the room. Waiting for me.

My stomach does this weird flip and I find myself torn between being incredibly irritated by his presence and incredibly drawn to his presence. Why can't things just be simple?

I take a deep breath and walk forward into the room, his eyes lifting at the sound of my steps.

"Hey," he says, his eyes meeting mine.

"Hey," I reply quietly, approaching the spot next to him in front of the stage.

I watch as he turns away to read something on his notepad, not saying anything further.

Okay…so, this is awkward.

In a desperate attempt to find something to do that's equally as enthralling as his notepad, I turn to my bag and begin rummaging through it. What am I looking for? I have no idea. My notebook is sitting on top, so I start digging to find a pen…ugh, where are those stupid kids when I need them?

"Jude," he says, breaking the silence. I glance up at him, my head half-buried in the interior of my bag, and see his thoughtful expression.

"Yeah?" I ask, putting my bag down along with the notebook and pen.

"About last night…" he starts, the hesitation echoing in his voice.

"What about it?" I ask, turning towards my notebook and fumbling through the pages.

"I just," he starts with a sigh. I know he's running his hand through his hair without even needing to look at him. "I just…didn't mean to upset you."

"Upset? Why would I be upset?" I ask, still not looking at him. I'm sure my words are an immediate indication that I am, in fact, upset. But I'm not going to blatantly let him know that.

"Because, I know you," he starts, taking a step closer to me. He touches the edge of my jacket near my elbow and I'm suddenly feeling my heart beat even faster. I can't help but look up at him, meeting his bright blue eyes, and feel my breath hitch in my throat.

Instead of arguing with him like I should, I start to think about how close we're standing right now. If we were to just lean in a little more…just a little more…

No Jude. Bad Jude.

Be strong. Don't let him know what you're thinking. He can spend him time with whoever he wants – it doesn't matter to me. Right? Right.

"Look," I say with a deep breath, forcing myself to take a step back from him, "I get it. And I'm not upset. Honestly."

He eyes me doubtfully, as though he's trying to read my inner thoughts to tell if I'm being sincere.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I say decisively. "Everything's cool. Let's just forget about it. Okay?"

He nods slowly, skeptically, but eventually his features become more at ease. "Okay, cool."

Our eyes stay on each other for a moment until we vaguely hear the door open and the kids enter.

"Oh, I forgot to ask you," he says, retreating back towards his notebook on the stage. "Did you hear that Nicole's not in our program anymore?"

Did I? Did I??

"Oh yeah, Josh mentioned that to me this morning," I say, acting as casually as possible.

"Yeah, they apparently really needed her in Performance with Karma," he says with a shrug. "Josh said Karma's more interested in herself than in controlling the kids."

I smirk, impressed by Josh's rationalization. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Me either," he agrees with a smile. "Oh, but Nicole wanted me to ask if you're around during fifth period to work on her singing. She said she needs some help on her scales."

My brows automatically raise in surprise. She still wants my help with her singing?

"Umm, sure," I say with a moment's hesitation. "You and I also need to talk about the rest of this week's programs at some point."

"Maybe I can join you two," he proposes. "If that's okay."

I nod with a smile. Are you kidding? Any extra time with him is okay…even though his girlfriend will be there. I'll just give her some exercises to practice outside while he and I "work" inside.

"Sure, that would be great."

"Okay. I told Mike I'd help take the kids to get their mail, but I can meet up with you when I'm done."

"Sounds good," I say with a wide smile.

As I continue to stare into his eyes, I hear some giggles behind me. I turn around to see a room full of ten year-olds watching us make googly eyes at each other. Oh great…they would've come in handy about five minutes ago, but now I'd like to figure out how to make those kids disappear.

- - -

"Jude, do you think I should sing it like this: 'La la la la la la laaaa….' or like this: 'La la la la la?'"

I groan internally, glancing up from my notebook. I'm waiting for Tommy to arrive and save me from his girlfriend, also known as the world's _greatest_ singer.

I shrug my shoulders at Nicole, whose eyes are glazed over in deliberation. "Either way sounds good to me."

"Really? Because I kind of feel like the higher pitch on the first one shows my range," she says, clearing her throat. "La la la la la la—"

"Nicole," I say, cutting her off, "Maybe you should start working on a real song?"

These scales are seriously hurting my ears. She's singing notes that are only intended to be heard by dogs. And although I agreed to become friends with her, I never agreed to listen to this piercing noise she calls singing.

"I could do that," she considers. "You know, I was thinking about singing a song for Tommy at the final talent show."

Okay, now she has my attention.

"Really?" I ask, looking up from my notebook with wide eyes.

"Yeah," she replies, sitting on the edge of the couch across from me. "I was thinking maybe 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion. What do you think?"

I shudder at the thought of Nicole performing this song. "Ummm…I think it's a pretty song, but it's really hard to sing. There are a lot of high notes in there that I definitely couldn't hit. Maybe you should try something you feel more comfortable with?"

"Hmmmm," she utters, visibly thinking to herself. Her eyes then light up as she says, "What about that Bryan Adams song? You know, the one from Robin Hood?"

I scrunch my eyebrows and gaze at her questioningly. "You mean, 'Everything I Do, I Do for You?'"

"Yes! That's the one!" she exclaims, clapping her hands together. "Wouldn't that be just perfect?"

Hmmmm…everything I do, I do for you…what interesting lyrics. If she could change them to be, "everything I do is just for me," that would work better.

"Sounds great," I say with a reassuring smile.

"Great!" she exclaims, excited by her own idea. "It'll be such a perfect surprise for him."

"Perfect," I mutter, turning back to my notebook.

I continue to feel her presence on the couch opposite me, her eyes burning a hole through the notebook that's become the barrier between us, as we sit in silence for a few moments.

"Jude? Is everything okay?" she asks, a trace of real concern in her voice.

I sigh and look up at her, bringing the notebook down to my lap. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired from being sick, I guess."

"Yeah, about that," she starts, "I know I was kind of rude to you at the infirmary that night, but I want you to know that I'm not mad anymore. Tommy explained _everything_ to me."

"He did?" I asked, my eyes wide in confusion.

"Of course," she says. "I know you weren't there by choice. And I know the two of you didn't even get to see each other while you were there. He told me about how sick you were and that you couldn't get out of bed the whole time. It must've been awful."

Huh? He said what?

I replay her words in my mind as I quietly say, "It was."

"Well, I'm sorry I doubted you," she says, with a warm smile. "I know you two are friends and I guess I was just upset about spending my day off without him. You understand, don't you?"

I swallow everything I want to tell her and simply nod. "Of course."

"Anyway, I'm sorry we won't get to spend more time together in songwriting," she says with a shrug. "But Josh explained how much they need me in performance. Apparently, that Karma girl cannot keep her campers focused at all."

I nod slowly, still stuck on the story that Tommy has told her.

As Nicole opens her mouth to ask another question, we turn to see the front door open.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Tommy says, his eyes meeting mine.

I glance over at Nicole, whose expression reflects her inner confusion as to why he's there. I then return my gaze to my notebook, saying nonchalantly, "No problem. I just started working on it actually."

"What are you two doing?" Nicole asks as Tommy comes over and sits down on the couch next to her.

"We're putting together a schedule for this week," he says.

"I thought we were going to work on my singing," she replies, looking at me firmly.

Feeling flustered between the two of them, I reply, "We are. I can multi-task. I didn't think you'd mind if Tommy hears you too."

She narrows her eyes at me and leans closer, saying in a loud whisper, "What about the song I was going to work on? It's supposed to be a surprise."

"We can work on that later. Maybe you can continue with your scales," I suggest quietly.

She sighs and runs her hand through her long brown hair, appearing troubled by my suggestion.

"Fine," she finally says. "Won't I distract you though?"

"We'll be okay," Tommy says, giving her a smile. "Jude and I can do this in our sleep."

I instantly feel myself blush at his comment, a visual image of Tommy and I sleeping flashing in my mind. I glance at him with wide eyes, subliminally sending him signals of silence, and see him slowly start to blush too at the realization of what he's just said.

Fortunately, Nicole doesn't notice and instead, stands up to begin her scales again. As she begins, Tommy turns to me.

He anxiously clears his throat and says, "So, what do you have so far?"

I clear my throat lightly in response and hand him my notebook. "Here's what I came up with." As he takes it, I then turn towards Nicole and say, "Deeper breaths. Remember? Breathe through your diaphragm?"

"Right," she says, making a mental note to herself before continuing.

I turn back towards Tommy, who gives me my notebook back. "This looks good," he says. "I think on Thursday, they should do more of the individual writing though."

"Ok," I agree, reviewing the tentative schedule I have in my notebook. As I begin writing his suggestion, I hear the front door open and see Amy's figure walking towards us.

"Hey," I say as she approaches.

"Hi," she says, walking over towards me, but darting her eyes back and forth between Nicole and Tommy. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No, don't worry about it," I reply.

"Jude can 'multi-task,'" Nicole states emphatically, pausing from her scales.

I roll my eyes and face Amy again as the sound of Nicole's singing resumes. "What's going on? Aren't you supposed to be at soccer?"

"Yeah, but I got a call that we need to pick up some packages for the girls at the office. Do you have a couple of minutes to come with me?"

"I would," I start, "but I have to create this schedule with Tommy and help Nicole with her signing."

Her brows immediately raise at my words. "Wow. Aren't you the popular one?"

"You can go," Tommy pipes in, listening to our conversation. "You already wrote most of the schedule, so I can just finish it up."

"You sure?" I ask him, to which he nods.

"Yeah…it's no problem."

"Nicole?" I ask, interrupting her singing. "Do you mind if I go help Amy?"

She sighs and sits down next to Tommy. "No, that's fine. I think I'm straining my voice anyway. And besides, it'll give Tommy and me some alone time."

She wraps her arm around him and he instantly appears to be uncomfortable, sitting up straighter and coughing.

"Okay," I say, standing up. "And that's my cue to leave."

"Jude," Tommy calls out as I start to walk away. "I'll finish the schedule. I promise."

"I know you will," I reply with a grin, following Amy out of the room.

As soon as we get outside, Amy turns to me and says, "What was that? Some kind of bizarre threesome?"

I choke back my laughter as I walk with her up the hill towards the office. "No way. I'm just helping Nicole with her singing and Tommy is…well, Tommy."

We walk for a few moments before she says reflectively, "So, I'm confused. Are you friends with Nicole or not? Because you looked like buddies in there. But then again, I can't help but think about what you asked Josh to do. I don't get it."

I sigh, looking down at my feet walking against the dirt road. "It's a long story."

"So explain it to me," Amy says. "You know my big secret now, so I'd say it's time for one of yours."

I think for a minute, considering her words, and know that I do owe her an explanation of my request to Josh. So I take a deep breath and say, "Well, let's just say that I'm not as big a fan of Nicole as I make myself out to be."

She nods skeptically, saying, "Okay…then why the act?"

"Because," I start quietly, looking down at my feet again, "I need to make sure she has Tommy's best interests at heart."

She thinks for a moment before saying, "And you think that by being friendly with her, you'll be able to figure that out?"

"Yeah," I reply, knowing that my explanation isn't entirely true, but it is close enough.

"Okay," she says, her voice still sounding unconvinced. "But I still don't understand why you'd want her out of your program."

I take a deep breath and stop walking, turning to look at her. "Because I care about Tommy. Because I don't think Nicole is right for him. And because I cannot stand being around the two of them together every single day! They don't belong together!"

Silence falls between us as I realize that I've actually stated what I've been thinking for weeks. I bite my lip as I watch Amy's eyes light up in understanding.

"You're in love with Tommy," she states with a knowing smile.

I audibly gasp at her statement, the words hitting me like a slap in the face.

I stumble for a moment to find words. "I…I don't think…I don't know if I'd say that—"

"You are," she confidently says. "I know we've only known each other for a few weeks, but I know you, Jude. And I can tell, just by the way you said all of that, that you have some pretty big feelings for Tommy."

I take a deep breath, my eyes drifting to the ground. "I just…I don't know. Part of me thinks that maybe I always have …that it never went away even though things didn't work out for us."

"Well that's probably true," she replies. "You two have this really amazing chemistry together. You can see it from miles away…there's something there. And it's not just one-sided."

I peek up at her, my brows raised. "You think?"

She nods, then turns to keep walking. "Yeah, I do. You can tell by the way he looks at you."

"I don't know," I say doubtfully, walking alongside her and shaking my head. "When we were at the infirmary, we spent this…this amazing night together where I felt like we were totally on the same page. But then last night when I was talking to Jamie, I saw Tommy laughing happily with Nicole. It was like it didn't mean anything to him."

"Wait—what? You were talking to Jamie and saw Tommy with Nicole?" she asks, repeating my words back.

"Yeah…and they were acting all happy together. It made me want to throw up."

"Jude," she says, stopping again, "you're an idiot."

I furrow my brow and put my hands on my hips defensively. "Well that's not very nice."

"You are," she says with a light laugh. "You're standing there, talking to _your_ boyfriend, and see him talking to _his_ girlfriend, and you wonder why he's acting like you don't exist."

I'm clearly not following as I glare at her in confusion, waiting for some big reveal that I've missed.

"Jude," she says, her voice calmer, "how can you expect him to change his behavior if you haven't changed it yourself?"

I think about her question, mulling over its implication, as she continues, "You're both dating other people while you clearly have feelings for each other. But you can't expect him to break things off with Nicole unless you're willing to break things off with Jamie."

I immediately hear the truth in her words, as they echo in my mind. "You think?"

"Let's consider," she begins thoughtfully, "that the roles were reversed and you saw him with Nicole first. What kind of reaction would you have?"

I let out a smirk, knowing the answer without any thought. "I'd be pissed."

"Exactly. And don't you think part of you would love to make him jealous?" she asks, eyeing me knowingly.

I nod lightly, remembering how fun it always is to watch Tommy get jealous. "Yeah…"

"Well, there you go," she says with a nod. "He saw you. He saw you being nice to your boyfriend and clearly wanted to make you feel the same way he did."

I exhale deeply, still mulling over her theory. I _was_ thinking about Tommy even though I was with Jamie, so maybe, just maybe, it's possible that Tommy was thinking about me too?

"I guess it makes sense…"

"Of course it makes sense," Amy replies with an eye roll. "You need to decide what you want and actually do it, Jude. And until you're willing to change your own situation, you can't get upset seeing them together."

I nod slowly, understanding what she's saying. I guess I have been a little hypocritical.

"You're right," I reply. "I am an idiot."

She laughs then turns to continue walking. "Hey, you're not alone. Let's not forget who I've been secretly dating."

"True," I agree, as I spot the office up ahead. "Although you didn't manipulate the situation to get what you want."

"Well, I have been using it to my advantage though," Amy admits with a shrug. "I do have three off periods today when everyone else has one."

"Wow...you are evil," I say with a smile, shaking my head. "Do you think you can get me one more off period today?"

"Hey, we got your 'frenemy' out of your program. Don't press your luck," she replies with an eye roll, as we open the door to the office laughing at each other's manipulative ways.


	32. Chapter 31

An update! Finally!! I know, it's been forever - and I'm so sorry about the wait. But I promise I didn't forget and to make up for it, this chapter is extra long. It picks up pretty much where we left off, after Amy tells Jude that she needs to take matters into her own hands with Tommy and Jamie. And she needs to stop being upset about seeing Tommy with Nicole if she's still with Jamie. Half of her advice will be taken care of in this chapter, but the other half...well, that's still up in the air (as you'll see).

Thank you all so much for sticking with me even though I've become a delinquent updater. I really appreciate all of your reviews so please keep letting me know what you think! ENJOY!

* * *

I am a woman determined

I am a woman determined.

My destination is in sight and I know what I need to do.

And I won't, under any circumstance, chicken out.

Even if he argues. Or protests. Or cries.

I will do it. I have to do it. I must do it.

I open the door to the staff lounge and scan the room, half hoping he wouldn't be there. But my eyes settle on a figure sitting on one of the couches, reading a magazine.

At the sight of him, my heart instantly drops and I feel my nerves begin to kick in. He looks so content, reading quietly during his off period. How can I do this? What kind of horrible person am I?

Before taking a further step inside, the voices in my head grow louder and the questions begin to become louder.

_Am I sure I want to do this? What if he gets upset? How will I handle hurting him?_

I close my eyes and attempt to refocus on the reason for my actions.

_You have to do this. It isn't fair to either of you to keep this going. You need to be strong and do what's right._

I take a deep breath and slowly walk towards him, my heart beating faster as the couch grows closer. My eyes stay focused on him as I take one final, tentative step to stand beside the couch.

"Is this seat taken?" I ask, my voice sounding weak and hoarse.

Jamie's eyes move upwards until they meet mine and a small smile emerges on his face.

"I'm saving it for you," he responds, putting the magazine down on the table beside him.

I settle on the couch, my heart beating in my ears. For a moment, I actually question whether he can hear it, as it seems to be the only sound in the room.

"What's up?" he asks, interrupting my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

My eyes meet his and I can see the concern flash across his features. He knows there's something wrong.

I shrug and glance down at my hands, which are playing with a loose thread on the seam of my jeans.

I begin to concentrate on the purpose of this conversation. On what I want. On what exactly I came here to do.

I look back up at him, the sadness radiating from my eyes.

And then, I utter the dreaded words.

"We need to talk…"

He looks at me with a blank expression but I vaguely hear the sigh he emits at the sound of my words.

"Ah, the inevitable breakup talk," he notes flatly, leaning back against the couch. He looks completely unphased as he eyes me patiently, waiting for me to continue.

My surprise at his knowing reaction is immediately revealed by the questioning expression on my face. I guess I should have known. This is Jamie, after all.

He remains quiet but crosses his arms, as though creating a barrier between us, and raises brows in anticipation of an explanation.

I clear my throat and begin to offer as much reasoning as I can. "It's just…not working."

He emits a quiet scoff at my words, keeping his eyes on me the whole time. "I think that might be a given, Jude."

I glance down again, realizing that his composed reaction is actually making me more uncomfortable.

"I know," I admit softly. "I just don't think...well…I don't think we're right together."

I nervously peek up at him, awaiting some kind of response, but he simply nods and says, "Agreed."

"I mean, we're right together," I add for clarification, "just not…_together_ together…you know?"

"Yeah, I do," he agrees. "Jude, I know you're not happy. You're…looking for something more."

"Right," I say lightly, my anxiety slowly dissipating. Wow, this might be easier than I thought.

"You want butterflies…and passion," he continues. "And this just doesn't give you that."

"Exactly," I say, my voice clearly expressing my relief at his understanding.

"I'm not surprised...I guess the one question I have is," he starts, scratching his head in thought, "why you chose me in the first place."

Or…maybe not.

"What?" I say, flustered by his question.

"Why did you pick me, Jude?" he asks, his gaze intensely focused on me. "Clearly I wasn't the one you wanted. I didn't give you those butterflies, did I? So did you just…figure I was going to stick around longer?"

I swallow the lump in my throat, letting my eyes drop towards the floor and shaking my head.

"Jamie, it's not that simple."

"Oh really?" he contends with an edge of sarcasm. "So then, enlighten me. Explain to me exactly why we've tried this twice and both times have ended the same way. Explain to me why I seem to be your recurrent back-up. Explain anything, Jude…just give me something here…"

He's pleading with me, looking into my eyes earnestly. I know I owe him the truth, but at this moment, I can't quite figure out what the truth even is.

"Jamie, I wanted to be with you. I never lied about that. You were the one I felt the most comfortable with, the one I wanted to spend my time with. But…well…it just isn't working anymore."

His expression finally shows some sign of disappointment as he shakes his head, implicitly showing that he doesn't believe a word I've said, as his gaze drifts away from mine.

"I'm sorry," I say, the words sounding shallow and futile.

He shakes his head more firmly and takes a deep breath. I can tell there's a lot more going on in his mind than he's letting on.

"Don't be," he finally says, his eyes returning to mine. "_I'm_ sorry I was never enough for you."

Ouch.

At that, he stands up to leave, but not before I can grab his arm to stop him.

"Wait," I plead, looking up at him. "I don't want things to end like this…I still want you in my life, Jamie."

"Well I don't know if I can do that," he states honestly, pulling his arm out of my grip.

"Why not?" I ask, my voice cracking.

"Because I'm tired of playing this game, Jude. I'm tired of waiting and hoping that you'll change your mind about us. I'm tired of being the guy that you think you need, not the guy you want. And I'm tired of being your stand-in until you get up the nerve to actually go after what you want."

His words sting as I feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Jamie," I mutter quietly, the words muffled by the lump in my throat.

He closes his eyes and sighs to himself, drawing it out for a few moments before perching on the side of the couch next to me. "I know, Jude. But the fact is that you _did_ hurt me…I really wanted this. I wanted to be with you for the right reasons. _You_ gave me those butterflies."

I look away, the tears falling onto my cheeks, as he adds, "I just don't think I can go back to being friends…at least, not right now."

I repeat his words to myself slowly for a few moments, nodding hesitantly.

"Okay. I understand," I say, speaking the only words I can think to say.

He takes a deep breath and stands up again. "I care about you, Jude. And I know that you always try to stay true to yourself, but this – making decisions based on what you think you're supposed to do and not what you want to do – it's not you."

I stare at him with a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

"You can't go back and change what happened," he adds, "but I think maybe it's time for you to actually start listening to your heart instead of your head."

My mouth gapes at his words, the truth immediately ringing in my ears. I can't find my own words to reply so I simply offer a small nod, assuring both him and myself that I understand.

"Okay. Well," he says quietly, with a vague twinge of sadness, "I guess this is it."

"Thanks, Jamie," I manage to say, "for everything."

He nods in response and without another word, walks away. As I watch him retreat towards the front door and eventually disappear behind the other side, I release my breath and feel my heart begin to return to a normal rate.

I re-play our conversation in my head, expecting to feel relief and happiness by the end of it. I did what I wanted to do. I broke up with him.

But part of me can't help but feel sad as I remember his reaction and advice to me. It always amazes me how well he really does know me, even when I'm not being as honest as I should be. And even though we're separating, I find some bit of comfort in knowing that a small part of me will always be with him with him on the other side of that door.

- - -

"I broke up with Jamie."

I watch as Sadie nearly drops the phone that she's holding to her ear, while she struggles to maintain composure with the person on the other end of the line.

"Umm…Mrs. Lewis?" she starts, her eyes staying on me, "yes …I'm still here, but I actually need to get going…I will check on Hilary to make sure she's getting enough sleep…yes, I'll let you know if her bug spray is still missing…okay, yes, I'll tell her. Thank you…okay, goodbye."

Finally, she hangs up the phone, her eyes now wide and her expression revealing her astonishment.

"I'm sorry, but did you just say you broke up with Jamie?" she asks.

I nod in confirmation, waiting for a few moments for some sort of reaction.

"Wow," she says, leaning forward onto the desk in front of her. "Wow."

"Is that all you're going to say? Just 'wow?"" I ask, becoming impatient.

"What do you expect me to say?" she asks in response. "I mean, I know we talked about this…and I know we set a time table for you to make up your mind…but I never really thought…I mean, I just assumed…"

"That I wouldn't do it?" I ask.

"Well…yeah," she says with a shrug. "Don't get me wrong Jude, I know you weren't happy with him, but you were always so concerned about hurting him, I just never thought you'd be the one to end things."

"Well, I guess you never gave me enough credit," I say with a smug grin, walking around to the side of her desk where I sit down on the extra chair beside her.

"So how did he take it?" Sadie asks, eyeing me closely.

I shrug and utter, "Okay, I guess. He wasn't shocked, but he wasn't exactly thrilled either."

"What did he say?"

"Well, he didn't act upset at first, but the more we talked about it, the more upset he got. But the interesting thing is that he was most upset over feeling like I never took the whole relationship seriously in the first place."

"Really?" she asks as I nod. "Do you think he's right?"

I offer a slight shrug. "Sort of…he told me that he thinks my decision to be with him came from my head and not my heart."

"And?" she asks, prodding me to continue.

"And…I guess he has a point," I admit sheepishly. "I was scared, Sadie. And I knew Jamie would be good to me and we could be happy…just not the kind of happy that I wanted."

I half expect her to scold me for my behavior, but she simply nods understandingly and takes a deep breath.

"Well, have you told Tommy?" she asks.

"No, you were first," I reply. "Don't you feel honored?"

"Like a princess," she says with an eye roll. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Of course," I reply. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I just have to wonder how he'll take it…I mean, he _is_ dating Nicole, but it'll be interesting to see how he reacts."

"Do you think he'd break up with her?" I blurt out, speaking the words that have been in the back of my head for days.

She shrugs and stands from her chair. "Who knows…maybe. But maybe not. Honestly, Jude, that man is a mystery. I've accepted that I'm never going to figure Tom Quincy out, so why bother trying?"

"Umm, for your sister's happiness perhaps?" I pose, standing from my chair to follow her.

"Tommy's response should not dictate your happiness," she states, walking over to a cabinet in the corner of the room to file some papers.

"I know," I mutter quietly, following her, "but I want him to be happy about it."

She turns around to look at me at the sound of my words, her brows raised.

"What exactly is going on with the two of you?"

"Nothing," I reply automatically, using the easiest response I know.

"So why is it important for him to be happy about your breakup?" she asks, crossing her arms.

"I just…" I start, internally debating over how much to tell her, "I think I might have feelings for him again."

She emits a loud scoff at my confession, turning back towards her files.

"Again?" she says, shoving a few files back in their place. "Like you ever stopped."

I roll my eyes behind her back. "Whatever. My point is, I think this break with Jamie could be like a fresh start…hopefully, for both of us."

She turns back around and surveys me skeptically. "Jude, you and Tommy have had more 'fresh starts' than I've had chips in my nail polish."

"I know, but this time is going to be different," I say as convincingly as I can.

Her eyes stay on mine for a moment before shaking her head uncertainly and turning back towards the filing cabinet. "Okay. But you might want to drop a hint to his girlfriend that you're planning to have babies with her boyfriend."

I gasp at her mention of babies and hear her softly giggle to herself. "No one is having babies! And don't worry, Miss Perfect Camp Counselor will be getting the message very shortly."

"Okay, but whatever you do, just be careful," she warns, turning to flash me a knowing look.

"I will," I say with a nod.

- - -

The next morning, my heart is pounding a mile a minute as I step foot into the rec hall, knowing that I'll have just a couple of minutes alone with Tommy before the kids show up for our first songwriting program. Part of me thinks that I should just wait to tell him about my breakup until we have more time, but I know that if I delay this any longer, I'm seriously going to burst.

I step into the room, attempting to swallow my nerves and show him that everything is fine. I need to radiate happiness and the freedom to date whomever I wish.

"Hi," I say, approaching the stage where he is standing.

"Hey girl," he says in response, smiling at me and putting his notebook down on the stage. "How was your night last night? I didn't really see you in the lounge."

"Ohhhh, well, I umm…" I start, my nerves instantly returning, "I kind of decided to take it easy last night. You know, with being sick and everything, I think I was just worn out."

He nods in understanding, turning back towards his notebook to read through our schedule for the week. The room turns quiet, which I know is my cue to begin.

"So…I ummm…," I start, debating how exactly I should phrase my news. But before I can think rationally about the appropriate way to announce it, I suddenly blurt out, "I broke up with Jamie."

His eyes immediately dart upwards to meet mine, the surprise evident in his gaze. I can't help but bite my lip in nervousness, awaiting his response.

He gazes away for a moment, appearing to process the information, and then turns back towards me, his brow furrowed in confusion. "When?"

"Yesterday afternoon," I reply tentatively. "During my off period."

He still looks like he's sorting out my confession, the words echoing in the otherwise quiet room.

"Why?" he asks softly, his eyes meeting mine.

My first thought at the sound of his question is to offer him the same answer he gave me close to two years ago…_You know exactly why…_

But instead, I simply shrug and reply, "It just wasn't working."

He nods lightly, his eyes shifting back towards the stage. He continues to appear reflective, as a tense silence starts to grow between us.

Hmmm…so this isn't exactly the reaction I was hoping for.

Not that I expected him to run to me, scoop me up into his arms and kiss me passionately, but a little smile wouldn't have killed him.

Feeling the awkwardness intensify between us, I nervously clear my throat and turn away from him, saying gently, "So I just thought you should know."

I glance over at him quickly, seeing him offer a slight nod while staring down at the notebook in front of him.

So…I guess that's it.

No excitement, no happiness, no anger…nothing. It's almost like I've told him that the sky is blue or that Darius shaves his head. I don't get it.

I mean, I did what I was supposed to – I broke up with my boyfriend. Jamie and I weren't right together, but I can't act like Tommy had nothing to do with my decision. Wanting to be with him gave me the motivation to stop procrastinating and just do it. And this is all I get in response from him??

I feel my heart beginning to beat harder, but this time, it's not out of nervousness – it's anger. My mind is beginning to race as I focus on the fact that I just made a huge life-altering decision and I get a reaction from him that's equivalent to a wet towel.

Did he not want me to be single? Was Amy totally misreading this whole situation?? What the hell is he thinking??

Just as I'm about to turn and unleash my seething self to him, I hear the doors open and the kids run in.

Damn't. Those kids always have the worst timing.

I turn back towards the stage, taking deep breaths to calm myself and not show my frustration to the kids.

Angry Jude will just have to wait for now. But I'm pretty sure that this fury is not gone for good.


	33. Chapter 32

Hi again! I have the next chapter for all of you and even more exciting, the chapter after this one is almost done and should be posted over the weekend. I'm on a roll. :) I think you may all like these next few chapters, as the drama gets seriously intense and there are a few fun twists and turns coming. :)

Thanks so much to everyone for all of your reviews and amazing comments! I hope you like this chapter, but please let me know!! I love hearing what you think. :) ENJOY!

* * *

"And then…you'll never believe what he did…he, he, he…he just stood there!"

Amy looks at me with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"He just stood there with this blank expression on his face!" I exclaim, flailing my arms around out of pure and utter frustration. "I tell him this life-changing news but he doesn't say a thing! Oh—but then you know what he did?"

"What?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" I shout, practically loud enough for the whole camp to hear.

"So…he didn't react at all?" Amy asks, her tone obviously calmer than mine, trying to understand exactly what happened without my overly dramatic actions.

"No…nothing," I say, my voice quieter but my tone still showing my frustration. "It's almost like he didn't care. I broke up with my boyfriend, Amy. And he acted like I read off my grocery list."

She shrugs but keeps walking beside me towards the bunk.

"Maybe he just didn't know how to respond," she offers reflectively.

"How do you not know how to respond?" I ask, still aggravated. "The girl you've just hooked up with—"

"Wait! You hooked up with him?" she interrupts, stopping from our walk to look at me.

I feel a blush creep onto my face as I grin sheepishly at her. "Did I forget to tell you that?"

"Umm, yes," she says firmly. "Did this all happen at the infirmary?"

I nod in response, biting my lip as I watch her process this piece of information.

"Wow…I have to find a way for Josh and I to be sick together," she says with a shake of the head as she starts walking again.

"I'm sure he could arrange that somehow," I add into her train of thoughts.

"Anyway," she says, shifting the conversation back to my latest situation, "I don't think it's that he didn't care, Jude. I think maybe he was just overwhelmed."

"I don't know…" I mutter skeptically. "After I told him, we proceeded to spend all morning together in three songwriting programs and not once did he even look at me."

She sighs, drawing it out for a moment before saying, "I think you need to give him some time. You threw this huge bit of news on him which he obviously didn't expect. So it probably just hit him that he has a lot to think about."

"What's to think about?" I ask, more as a rhetorical question.

She shoots me a sideways glare and says, "I think he has a lot to think about."

"Okay," I concede reluctantly. "So I'm just supposed to…wait? Until when?"

"I don't know…awhile," she answers vaguely. "You put the ball in his court. So now you need to take a step back and let him figure out how he's going to handle this."

I sigh loudly, scratching my head and processing everything she's saying. Shouldn't he automatically know what he needs to do? I'm single. He has a bitchy girlfriend. How much time should it take him to figure this out?

"You know," Amy starts again, a mischievous grin emerging on her face, "there is something you could do to speed up the process."

"What's that?" I ask, intrigued.

"Well…maybe he just needs a little convincing. A little…nudge…in the right direction."

"Come again?" I ask, obviously not following.

Her eyes light up as she says, "Well, seeing as the two of you are already close, maybe you can just…flirt a little. Give him a taste of what he's missing."

A smile develops on her face and I instantly find myself mirroring her expression.

"That's an interesting idea," I reply thoughtfully.

Not that I'm trying to make this situation more complicated than it already is, but if I can persuade Tommy to break up with Nicole on his own, without the need for an intervention, then everything would actually be much simpler.

And flirting with Tommy wouldn't be hard at all…it could be fun.

"I could do that," I reflect with a slight nod.

"Nothing overly dramatic though," Amy advises. "You have to be subtle."

"I can do subtle."

"Although honestly," she adds with a smirk, "seeing the way the two of you are together, you can just be yourself and he'll be single before you know it."

"You think?" I ask tentatively.

Her smile gets wider and she nods excitedly. "I do."

I start walking again, still considering her suggestion. "It could work…"

"It could definitely work. And technically, you're not doing anything wrong," she says supportively.

Pausing in my step, I declare, "Okay. I think I'm going to do it."

"Good," she replies with a wide smile.

"But if you're wrong…" I say warily.

"If I'm wrong, then you're no worse off than where you started," she says with a shrug. "Besides, what could go wrong with a little flirting?"

I reflect on her question for a few moments and then nod in agreement. "Good point."

- - -

As I'm walking to meet Tommy for our off period, which we've decided to spend reviewing lyrics from our campers' latest round of songs, I feel my heart pounding in my chest. Amy told me to be myself. But right now, I can't remember how I normally act…am I naturally flirty with him? Do I flip my hair? Do I touch his arm like you're supposed to do when you flirt? Ugh, I can't think clearly.

All I can focus on is him and me. Me and him. Together. Without Jamie. Or more importantly, without Nicole.

I enter the rec hall and see a hat-clad Tommy standing at the foot of the stage surrounded by sheets of paper. I can't help but laugh as I watch him attempt to sort through a few of them, looking completely confused and lost.

"Need a hand?" I ask with a teasing grin.

He looks up at me and I notice that one of the papers unknowingly is stuck to the edge of his sweatshirt. I start to giggle aloud as I walk towards him, my anxiety surrounding this moment quickly dissipating.

"That depends…how good is your memory of all these kids?" he asks, as I walk straight up to him and grab the attached paper off his sweatshirt.

"What happened?" I ask, staring around at the mess. "They were all sorted by age group before…was there a mini-tornado in here before I walked in?"

"Well," he starts, turning to look at me and showing an uneasy expression, "let's just say that I might've lost my balance carrying all of these papers and two cups of coffee."

My eyes light up at the sound of caffeine. "You brought coffee?"

"Don't get too excited," he says, sliding a styrofoam cup towards me on the stage. "It's instant."

I grumble quietly but take the coffee nonetheless, appreciating the thought.

Taking a sip, I say, "So instead of reading through the lyrics, I guess we'll be spending the next hour putting the papers back into neat piles?"

He offers me an apologetic look as I turns towards the papers scattered around the edge of the stage.

"Maybe we can read while we sort?" he suggests hesitantly.

I sigh loudly, putting the cup down. "Sounds like fun a fun off period to me."

- - -

Forty-five minutes later, we're standing together with about half the papers still scattered around us. We've read through most of them, although coincidentally, any song that mentioned one of the camper's dogs or inanimate stuffed animals was casually tossed aside and deemed as being "lost."

While we stand there, quietly reading and sorting, the thought occurs to me that I haven't exactly followed Amy's advice yet. I need to flirt a little…nothing major though. Something subtle, something tactful, something expected.

I wrack my brain to try to think of how one goes about initiating a flirting session, when he turns to look at me, sensing that I'm about to say something.

"So," I start, still searching for a topic. Suddenly, my eyes land on the red baseball cap on his head and I feel myself smiling. "Another bad hair day?"

He eyes me with a dry smirk. "It's just the humidity."

"Oh really?" I reply skeptically, running a hand through my own hair. "Mine seems to be doing fine."

"Well I guess you were just born with perfect locks then," he replies with an eye roll.

I casually take a step closer, biting my lip in thought. "I wonder how bad your hair actually looks underneath that hat."

He looks at me with raised brows. "Ever seen Nick Nolte's mug shot?"

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad."

"I'm serious, Jude," he says convincingly. "This weather is just really bad for my follicles."

I creep closer to him, an evil glint in my eye, and say, "I don't believe you."

"Well it's true. And you'll just have to take my word for it," he replies with a shrug.

"No way. I need proof."

"Jude.." he says, catching my drift. "Jude…no…"

He slowly starts to back away, an actual look of fear on his face.

"It'll be quick and painless," I say with a taunting grin. "Just one look."

"No," he says firmly while still backing away while I edge in closer. "No…Jude…come on…"

"Oh come on, Tommy," I tease. "It won't hurt a bit."

"Jude—no!"

I grab one of his arms in an attempt to bring down his shield and lunge for his hat, attempting to pry it off his head. I hear him laughing as he has one hand on me and one on his head, holding as tightly as possible to his hat. I tug at the rim, trying as hard as I can to set it free.

"Tommy! Come on!! Just one look!"

"No!"

His grip remains firm, as I start to jump up and down to try to hoist it upwards away from his hair. With one hand still on his head, he attempts to limit my actions by tightening his grip on me, although the sound of his laughter shows his amusement by my determination. I start to restrain myself a little, knowing that I can catch him off-guard in just a few moments.

But as I calm down just enough to glance up at him, I realize that we're standing about an inch apart, nearly on top of each other. As our eyes meet, the light mood in the room starts to slip away and we both realize how close we are. His arm is still around my waist and I feel my heart start to beat harder. I listen to his breathing and he listens to mine, which are now the only sounds in the otherwise silent room.

A tangible tension develops in the air as we stand there, not moving, with our eyes locked. The warmth of his breath fills the space between us and all I can think about is how badly I want to kiss him. I watch as his eyes flicker downwards towards my mouth and I instantly know that he's thinking the same thing.

Without a moment's hesitation, I begin to close the distance between us, feeling him inch closer to me. My breathing becomes erratic and I feel myself being tugged towards him. I shiver slightly as his hands drift up my back. My mind has drawn a blank and my eyes slowly drift close. Within moments, I feel the light jolt of his lips brushing mine, and my whole body turning to mush.

His lips press against mine more firmly and I feel the rush of emotion take over, putting more of myself into the kiss. My arms wrap around his neck, pulling him closer, as I open my mouth a little wider to let his tongue graze over mine. A wave of tingles run up my spine as his grip becomes tighter on my back and I feel myself melt into him.

Just as a fantasy of having babies with him starts to form in my mind, a sudden loud boom resounds in the room, sharply bringing me back to reality. We immediately jump apart and a yelp escapes my lips from the thunderous echo enveloping the four walls around us.

My breath is ragged as my eyes instantly dart towards the source of the sound – the door. But there's no one standing there. No footsteps are heard or motion is visible besides the two of us, clearly shaken, and completely flustered.

My gaze drifts towards him, seeing the uneven breath escaping his lips. He looks equally as frazzled, with his hat tilting half off his head and his lips slightly reddened and puffy. My heart is beating wildly, although I can't tell if it's from the rush of the kiss we just shared or the abruptness of the door slamming.

My mind starts to race to piece together exactly what has just happened…from the kiss to the door slam.

Someone saw us. Someone was here. And that someone clearly wasn't happy. Who could it have been?

A sudden sense of dread rushes through my whole system as one name enters my mind. It couldn't be her…it couldn't be the one person who would be most upset. The one person we would never want to see us kissing. No, it couldn't have been…right?

"Where did you say Nicole was this period?" I ask, my voice shaking slightly.

He looks at me, as though reading my mind. His voice sounds quietly, reflectively, as he says, "Pool."

I nod nervously, looking down at the ground. "Okay."

"It could've been anyone," he says, trying to sound more confident.

My eyes rise to meet his, my uncertainty evident across my features. "Right…"

"It could've been a camper," he offers. "Or that maintenance guy who takes out the trash."

I nod lightly, trying to portray some level of assurance. "True."

"I'm just saying," he adds, "it may not have been her. It probably wasn't her."

But I look into his eyes and see his own doubt reflecting back. "Right…I'm sure you're right."

My words defy both of our instincts though. And not another word is spoken as I turn towards the stage and patiently wait for the kids to show up for our next program.


	34. Chapter 33

Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter - it's definitely a good one with some nice twists. :) I had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much!! Thanks to everyone for all of your comments - you guys keep me motivated so please keep letting me know what you think!! I'm can't believe the premiere is tomorrow - I'm excited and sad at the same time, but I'm sure it'll be great. Hope you all enjoy both the update and the show!!

* * *

It's been two days since my kiss with Tommy and so far, I haven't heard anything from the intruder who slammed the door. Whoever it was clearly wasn't interested in creating a stir over what they saw. They probably weren't even interested in spotting two people kissing…they were probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was probably innocent.

Tommy and I decided that it was better to keep the incident to ourselves, at least until we know who the nameless intruder was and if they plan on spilling the beans. We've been keeping our distance, both during our songwriting programs and free time, while also keeping one eye out for any suspicious behavior from the people around us.

Meanwhile, Nicole continues to be Tommy's nauseating girlfriend, giggling and hanging all over him. And while part of me wants to be angry with Tommy for staying with her, I can't help but wonder if he's still with her out of pure paranoia. I have to admit that I've had frequent visions of her stabbing me in my sleep after admitting she was the mystery observer, so I can only imagine what he must be thinking.

Staying true to our agreement, I haven't mentioned the kiss incident to anyone. Although as I sit on my bed, across the aisle from Amy, I can't help but want to get it off my chest. I'm pretty sure she wasn't the intruder because she would've mentioned it by now. And it _was_ her idea to flirt with Tommy in the first place, so technically, if I end up in trouble because of what someone saw, it could all be considered her fault.

Breaking the quiet between us, I take a deep breath and say,

"I kissed Tommy."

"Yeah, I know," Amy says without looking up from her book. "You told me. In the infirmary."

I bite my lip and then shake my head. "No, I mean…I kissed him. Again."

She slowly brings the book down to her lap, showing her wide eyes. "You did?"

I nod furiously, worried to hear her response.

"Jude," she says with a sigh. "I told you to _flirt_ with him…not jump him."

"I didn't jump him," I say defensively. "It just sort of happened…as we were flirting. God, I should've known that flirting would be bad."

She shrugs and picks up her book. "What's so bad about it? Maybe now he'll break up with Nicole."

"Well…" I start hesitantly. "There's just one problem with that. I think Nicole might've seen us."

"What?" she asks, her eyes wide again.

"I'm not positive…I mean, _somebody_ saw us. Somebody who wasn't happy. A door slammed and we didn't get to see who it was, so it might not have been her. But…there's a chance it was."

She sighs and shakes her head slowly. "Oh Jude…that would be bad."

"I know," I say, leaning back against my bed. "This whole thing has gotten way out of hand. All I wanted to do was be the good guy and make sure he was happy. I've been trying to protect him, but now, I've suddenly turned into the bad guy."

"You're not the bad guy," Amy reassures me. "But you do have really crappy luck."

I smirk in response. "Tell me about it."

"Maybe it wasn't her," she volunteers, trying to be positive. "Maybe it was a camper."

"Who slammed the door loud enough to interrupt us?" I ask with blatant disbelief.

"Maybe," she says hopefully. "Tommy and Nicole _were_ together last night at the staff lounge. And they looked happy enough…so even if it was her, she obviously didn't care enough to be mad at him."

"You think?"

She offers a small shrug, trying to be supportive. "Yeah…it's possible."

I sigh loudly and sit up on my bed, looking at her pleadingly. "Can't you do something? I mean, you're dating her brother. Can't you permanently get rid of her? Have her ostracized from camp grounds? This is my life we're talking about!"

"You don't know that it was her, Jude," Amy points out. "I can't exactly run to Josh to say that your life might potentially be threatened because you hooked up with his sister's boyfriend."

I grumble in response, crossing my arms. "This sucks."

She lets out a light laugh, turning back towards her book. "I don't know how you manage to get yourself into these situations."

"I don't either," I agree, not feeling one bit better about getting the incident off my chest.

The quiet in the room disappears as we both hear a loud roar coming from the camper's side of the bunk.

"What are they doing?" I ask, glancing towards the door to their side.

"Who knows," she replies. "They're thirteen year old girls. I've learned not to ask too many questions."

"Well I'm curious," I ask, standing from my bed. "They should be getting ready for dinner but it sounds like they're having a party."

"If you're going to check on them, make sure you remind them how much time it actually takes them to get ready," Amy says as I walk towards the door. "Jessica claimed that she could shower, get dressed and do her hair in under 30 seconds yesterday. Needless to say, we were late for dinner."

I grin at her remark before giving her a nod of understanding. "I'm on it."

I open the door and walk into their side of the bunk, seeing all of the campers hunched over something in the middle of Lauren's bed.

"Hey, what's going on?" I ask, causing them to all look up at me with wide eyes.

"Nothing!" Lauren yells, grabbing whatever was on her bed and shoving it under her covers.

"Nothing at all," Jessica adds, standing up. "Just…you know…doing some reading…"

"Oh really?" I reply, suddenly interested in whatever they're hiding. I edge in closer to the bed as the girls all start to look panicked. "So what exactly are you reading that makes all of you so jumpy?"

"Ummm…it's a horror story," Jessica volunteers as the rest of the girls agree.

"A horror story?" I ask, stepping in closer. "I like horror stories. Is it Stephen King?"

"Ummm, no…it's not really well known," Jessica says, looking more and more anxious as I get closer. "You wouldn't like it."

"How do you know?" I ask, feigning innocence. "I might. Let's see what it is."

"No!" Lauren shouts, her voice loud enough to startle me. "I mean, you really shouldn't…it's really scary…"

I cock my head at her questioningly and step right up to the edge of the bed as all of the other girls slowly back away. Lauren stays seated on the edge of her covers, appearing nervous, as I hold out my hand to give me whatever it is that they're reading.

"You really don't want to," she starts, almost like a warning.

"I'll take my chances," I say without hesitation.

Lauren exchanges a brief hesitant glance with Jessica before pulling a magazine out from underneath her covers.

"Here," she says, handing it to me. "But I didn't get this myself. It's been passed around girl's camp."

I take the magazine and with a look of confusion, scan the front. It's an issue of Talk National that has today's date on it. As my eyes skim the cover story, they immediately grow wider.

"'Instant Star's Illicit Summer Love Affair?'" I read aloud, my jaw dropping at the headline. "'Jude Harrison and Tom Quincy's Secret Exposed?' What is this??"

"It's from today's Talk National," Lauren attempts to explain. "I got it from some girl in another bunk…is it true? Are you and Tommy together??"

I ignore her question and continue to read, my eyes taking in every word of the article.

_It seems that love is in the air for Instant Star Jude Harrison and her producer Tom Quincy…again. The pair has been stationed for the past three weeks at Camp Marion, a summer camp for aspiring musicians, along with the rest of Darius Mills' G-Major staff. News from the camp has been minimal – that is, until this week. It seems that the cold nights around the campfire have turned steamy for the two, according to an inside source._

"_They're definitely together," the source tells us, wishing to remain anonymous. "They've kept it pretty quiet, but it's true. They're an item."_

_Harrison and Quincy were briefly known to be dating around Harrison's 18__th__ birthday, although neither would ever confirm._

"_They teach a songwriting program together," our source explains. "I guess they started spending a lot of time together and before you knew it, they were inseparable."_

_Sounds like a sweet love story…or does it?_

_Our inside source delves deeper into the background behind their relationship, revealing in a startling and emotional interview that Quincy is, in fact, dating someone else._

"_Yes, it's true. He has a girlfriend…who isn't Jude. Jude seems like a nice girl, but she's clearly stepping in someone else's territory. It's just not right."_

_Harrison and Quincy have apparently been spotted sneaking off together during off hours and canoodling in between their songwriting sessions._

"_They try to be quiet about it, but plenty of people have witnessed them together. I guess they can only keep it a secret for so long."_

_Reps from Camp Marion have yet to return phone calls or respond to these allegations. But as our source tells us, there won't be confirmation anytime soon._

"_It'll be awhile until they come out into the open with it. I mean, he's dating someone else and she just broke up with her boyfriend. They obviously have a lot of issues to work through before they come clean."_

_Our source finishes the interview by saying, "You have to feel bad for that poor girl he's dating. She's probably head over heels in love with the guy and he's cheating with his ex-girlfriend. And then there's Jude…people think she's Canada's sweetheart, but I think everyone who's gotten to know her this summer would beg to differ."_

I finally glance away from the article, the anger welling up inside of me. I am literally seething as I drop the paper beside me, grinding my jaw and balling my hands into fists.

"Is it true?" Lauren asks quietly, tentatively.

I can't even begin to process her question. All I can think about is who would do such a thing. Who would go to the press with the intention of making Tommy and I look so bad? Who would go out of their way to make me look like a horrible, backstabbing whore?

Only one name comes to mind. And this time, I think my assumption is right on the money.

- - -

"Can you believe this?!" I exclaim, pacing angrily around the front of the bunk. Amy sits on her bed, reading the article silently, as my fury gets more and more intense.

She finally puts the article down on the bed and looks up at me in disbelief.

"Wow," she says quietly. "Whoever that source was definitely doesn't like you."

I smirk sharply, continuing to pace even quicker. "That's an understatement. She basically called me a tramp, Amy."

"Why do you assume it's a she?" Amy asks innocently.

"You think a guy would do this?" I ask, halting my pace and putting my hands on my hips.

She shrugs. "Maybe it was Jamie…you did say he was upset by your breakup."

I shake my head, not even considering the suggestion. "No…Jamie's a lot of things, but he would never go out of his way to intentionally make me look like so terrible…he would never do that."

Amy nods in understanding, looking down again at the article.

"I just can't believe this is happening," I say, starting my pacing again. "And it's not just me…Tommy looks bad too. Someone obviously wanted to damage both our reputations."

"He _is_ the one cheating," Amy points out. "I mean, this source doesn't say nice things about either of you, but at least you're single."

"But this article makes it sound I'm completely heartless," I say. "Like I don't care that he has a girlfriend."

She emits a light smirk and looks at me knowingly. "Well, do you?"

"Of course I care!" I exclaim, stopping to look at her. "But we're not even together…this whole article has blown everything out of proportion!"

Just as I finish my rant, we both hear a light knock on the door and turn to see Karma stepping into the bunk. I beckon her in as I continue to pace, attempting to walk off my anger.

"Let me guess…you saw the article?" I ask, seeing the gleam in her eye.

She nods excitedly and holds up a copy of it. "So…is it true?"

I roll my eyes and groan loudly. "I don't know…it's complicated."

"Jude, I must say, I'm very impressed," Karma says, coming further into the bunk. "You've really outdone yourself this time. I mean, I knew you weren't as squeaky clean as everyone says you are, but I can officially welcome you to the bad girl's club now."

"I don't want to be in your bad girl's club," I whine, stopping pacing to look at her. "I don't want any of this!"

"Oh Jude," Karma says, perching herself on the edge of Amy's bed, "stop being so dramatic. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" I respond in frustration. "My whole reputation could be ruined over a trashy tabloid article!"

"Well, you know what they say," Karma starts, "there's no such thing as bad publicity."

I cross my arms and look at her crossly. "Whoever came up with that stupid saying obviously never experienced the joy of being made to look like the bitch who stole someone else's boyfriend."

"I've stolen other people's boyfriends," Karma admits with a shrug. "But it's never been a problem. Usually, once the guy knows I'm interested, they drop their girlfriend immediately."

I ignore her statement and sigh, running a hand through my hair. "This can't be happening. Please tell me this is all a dream…"

"Did you do something to piss someone off?" Karma asks. "Because whoever it was definitely was out for blood."

I take a deep breath, the question immediately reminding me of the kissing incident.

"Well…" I start tentatively. My eyes drift towards Amy's, sending her signals as to what I'm thinking.

"Wait a second," Amy says, reading my gaze. "You think the person who caught you and Tommy kissing was the same person who gave this interview?"

I offer a small nod, noticing Karma's eyes grow wide as she stares at me questioningly.

"You got it on with Quincy and someone saw?" she asks, an edge of exhilaration in her voice.

"We didn't get it on," I clarify. "We were kissing."

A wide smile appears on her face as she claps her hands together. "Oooo, this just keeps getting better and better!"

I roll my eyes at her enjoyment over my personal demise and turn back towards Amy. "It's too coincidental for them not to be linked. It makes sense. I mean, this just happened two days ago. That's plenty of time for someone to call up Talk National and tell them about us."

"That person would seriously have to be disturbed by what they saw to do something like this," Karma remarks with a smirk. "Even I wouldn't stoop this low."

"Yes, but I can think of one person who would…" I reply with a knowing look.

Amy immediately catches my drift and says, "Wait a second. I don't know, Jude…"

"I do," I claim confidently, walking over towards her bed. "It has to be her."

"That's not fair," Amy says shaking her head. "You don't know for sure that she was the one who saw you two. And there's no proof that she's involved with this article."

I scoff loudly and grab the article off her bed. I scan it over for a moment before reading aloud from the text:

"'You have to feel bad for that poor girl he's dating. She's probably head over heels in love with the guy and he's cheating with his ex-girlfriend.' That's not proof enough for you? You don't think that screams his bitter and angry girlfriend?"

I glance at both of them with raised brows, awaiting their agreement, but Amy simply takes the paper back and re-reads it for a moment before saying,

"Jude, I think you might be jumping to conclusions. Maybe they're two separate people. A camper could've walked in on you and maybe this source was someone who has a crush on Tommy…or maybe it was one of Nicole's friends trying to stick up for her. She might not always be the nicest person, but I really don't think she'd go to such extremes."

"I disagree," Karma interjects. "We know what she's capable of, especially when someone gets in her way. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants."

"How do you know that?" Amy asks, appearing bewildered. I suddenly realize that I've never fully shared our insights on Nicole's actions with Amy.

I glance briefly at Karma before taking a deep breath, deciding to come clean on our story.

"She's been using Tommy for the past 3 weeks to get a record contract. Karma and I overheard her talking about it with one of her friends. She only wants to date him until he sets her up at the studio and then she's out."

Amy looks at me with surprise then turns towards Karma, who nods in agreement. "Seriously?"

We both nod in response, as I add, "And if my instincts are right and she's the one who saw Tommy and I kissing the other day, she easily would be upset enough to do something this crazy."

"Wow," Amy remarks, scratching her head, still in disbelief over our confession. "I've hung out with her a bunch of times with Josh, and even though she wasn't the nicest person in the world, I never imagined she was really that bad…"

I slowly walk over to my bed, sitting down on the edge. "That's why I was trying to be friendly with her. I didn't think it was my place to tell Tommy about what we had heard, so Karma and I were trying to get her to admit it. We never made it that far, but we heard the truth. She's using him."

"And you really think that if she did see the two of you, she'd go so far as to contact Talk National?" Amy asks. "Why not just confront you?"

I shrug and reply, "Why get confrontational when she can just get even?"

We all grow quiet, considering the possibility. It has to be her. There's no other explanation for it. No one else would take things so far and go out of their way to destroy our reputations. She's evil and conniving and knows exactly how to manipulate any situation to make herself come out on top.

I hear Karma sigh and then quietly offer, "Well, on the bright side, they'll probably break up after this."

I shake my head, gazing down at the ground. "It doesn't even matter anymore…it's not like Tommy and I can run off and be happy after this."

Amy eyes me tentatively before quietly asking, "So what are you going to do?"

I shrug, releasing a long sigh. "I don't know."

"I say you go get her," Karma volunteers eagerly. "Screw being nice or giving her the benefit of the doubt…this girl suddenly has the upper hand, Jude. And you can't let her get away with that."

I consider her suggestion for a moment before turning towards Amy to get her take on it.

"Honestly," she starts, her tone calm and even, "I think you need to see how bad this really is before you make any rash decisions. Just lay low for a little while. Maybe the truth will come out on its own."

I groan and fall back onto my bed again. "Great. So I can either die now or later."

"Aww, poor Jude," Karma says with obvious fake sympathy. "I'll tell you what - if she does come after you and kill you, I promise to sing a beautiful song at your funeral."

"Oh goodie," I mumble, covering my eyes with my hands. "That makes me feel _so_ much better."


	35. Chapter 34

Hi guys! I'm really sorry for the long delay with this chapter, but I actually moved this month so my life was kind of chaotic for awhile there...but I'm settled now and back to writing. So thank you all so much for sticking with me!

Here is the next chapter. It's a bit of a filler but it's leading up to some really good Jude-Nicole drama. I do apologize in advance for any language that might not be entirely PG, but it fit the scene very well, as you'll see. Also, the names at the end are real friends of mine from camp, so thanks to them for letting me borrow their names.

Thank you all for your comments and please keep them coming! And ENJOY!

* * *

I timidly follow Amy into the dining hall for dinner, trying to stay close to her and use her body as a shield. But the moment I hear a round of hollers in my direction, I know that my attempt to hide has failed miserably.

As we make our way through the dining hall towards our table, with the cat calls and yelling starting to reach a new high, I feel a strong tug on my forearm and immediately am pulled free from behind Amy.

I look over to see who's cutting off the circulation in my arm and see an angry Sadie pulling me towards the door on the side of the dining hall. She pushes open the door and drags me outside, away from the screams and sounds that the campers are continuing to make.

"Ouch, Sadie!" I yell as she lets go of my arm. I rub the area where she was holding, already seeing it turn red. "I'm having a bad enough day here, have some pity!"

"Pity?? Pity?!" she exclaims, her hair flying all over the place. She puts her hands on her hips and stares at me with a threatening gaze. "Forgive me if I fail to pity the girl who's been lying to me this entire summer!"

"Excuse me?" I ask, taken aback by her statement. "I never lied to you."

"Did you see the article, Jude?" she asks firmly, her expression hard and unemotional.

I roll my eyes and reply, "No, I was just hiding behind Amy because I like the back of her shirt…of course I saw it!"

"And?!" she practically yells, motioning for me to explain.

"And…you of all people should know not to believe everything you read!" I exclaim in response.

She huffs for a moment before looking at me seriously. "So, it's not true?"

I bite my lip as I contemplate how to answer this question. "Well…it's not _entirely_ true."

She groans and shakes her head. "Which part is true then?"

"Umm…well...it's complicated," I attempt to explain, knowing my answer will never appease my prying sister.

"Jude, will you please just cut the crap and explain what's going on?" she asks in irritation. "Have you and Tommy been having some secret love affair or not?"

"No!" I exclaim, aggravation starting to overwhelm me. "Nothing's going on between us!"

But before I can continue that statement, I realize that I'm still not being completely honest. "Okay, well not _nothing_...but that article blew everything out of proportion!"

Sadie groans in frustration. "Jude - spill. And I want the truth," she says through gritted teeth.

"Okay," I say with a sigh. "Tommy and I…we may have kissed once or twice since we've been here."

"Okay…" Sadie says, making a clear attempt to remain calm. "Go on…"

"That was it. There's nothing else. No secret relationship, no sneaking off in dark woodsy corners…we just kissed. It wasn't planned or intentional…it just happened."

She smirks loudly and shakes her head in clear disapproval. "It always just _happens_ with you and Tommy, doesn't it?"

I look at her timidly and shrug, her guilt starting to weigh on my own conscience.

She eyes me skeptically and says, "So…the article…"

"It's not true," I say again, more forcibly this time. "If it were, I'd tell you."

She actually seems to believe my words this time, her stance becoming more relaxed as she finally takes her hands off her hips.

"So, what does that mean exactly?" she asks after a moment. "Are you two getting together?"

"I don't know," I say with a shrug. "We're still…undecided."

"Undecided?" she repeats with raised brows. "Kind of a bad time to be on the fence, don't you think?"

I groan in frustration and run a hand through my hair. "I know…one minute I'm trying to figure out what's going on with us and the next, this article comes out and everyone thinks I'm some kind of tramp."

"Oh Jude," she says, her voice now more disappointed than angry. I gaze up at her regretfully, feeling more ashamed by her reaction than anyone else's.

"I know," I say, not needing to hear more. "This is all a mess."

"_You're_ a mess," she corrects, her tone more at ease. "Do you have any idea who the source was who gave this interview?"

I shrug, hearing Amy's voice in my head telling me not to run around blaming people until I have proof.

"I don't know…it's possible it was Nicole, but I don't know for sure."

She nods at my response. "That's who I thought it was too."

"You did?" I ask, my eyes lighting up. "I thought I was the only one."

"Well, the article makes her sound like the victim," Sadie explains. "And I'm pretty sure she likes playing that role."

"That she does…" I agree, becoming quiet. Suddenly, an idea comes to me and I bite my lip, mulling it over internally for a few moments.

"Sadie?" I ask tentatively. "I need to ask you for a favor."

Her brows raise, clearly questioning whatever it is that I'm thinking.

"Don't you want to help me get out of this mess?" I ask, looking at her reaction.

"Not if it involves any sort of confrontation with Nicole," she replies. "That girl can have me taken out and make it look like an accident."

"No confrontation involved," I reassure her. "But it may require some of those detective skills that I know you're so good at."

She sighs, staring at me uncertainly, as I flash her a Karma-worthy smile and add, "Please?"

She rolls her eyes and sighs once more before responding, "Fine. What do you want?"

My smile grows wider at her answer as I lean forward to whisper into her ear exactly what I'm thinking.

- - -

As we walk back into the dining hall a few minutes later, Sadie leaves me to head towards her table at the front while I make my way back towards my bunk.

I'm surprised to hear no one screaming or hollering at me as I walk through the aisles towards my table, but as I gaze around, I notice that very few people are even at their tables.

My eyes drift down the aisle towards one of the tables at the back of the dining hall, where a large group of staff and campers are congregated. Instead of sitting at my own table, I continue on towards the back, my curiosity piqued by the crowd that seems to be growing by the second.

I can barely see through all of the people, but I make my way around the outside of the crowd, hoping to get a glance at what everyone is staring at. As I reach the far side of the group, I manage to peer through all of the lingering bodies to catch sight of the scene before me.

There, sitting at the table, is Nicole. Bawling her eyes out.

I instantly feel my blood begin to boil watching her, sobbing on the shoulder of her friend, Leslie. Through the tears, she's attempting to tell everyone her side of the story, although the only thing I can make out through the sobs are the words "loved him" and "can't believe her."

My anger quickly translates into paranoia, envisioning all of her supporters spotting me amongst the crowd and attacking me with pieces of fried chicken from tonight's dinner. So I slowly tread backwards away from the scene, hoping to escape as quietly as possible.

As I gain a clear distance between myself and the group, I gradually turn around and release a breath I had been holding, thinking that I'm in the clear, when I look up to lock eyes with Tommy, who's sitting a table away.

My heart starts to beat harder in my chest as I stand frozen, halfway between him and his sobbing girlfriend. He's wearing the same hat he had been a few days ago and it looks like he hasn't shaved in a few days.

I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat and continue to look into his eyes, my voice suddenly escaping me. He looks just as uncomfortable by the situation as I feel, his eyes reflecting his own anxiety. Part of me wants to run up to him and vent about how much I hate his girlfriend who's making both of our lives miserable, but knowing that I'll probably cause a bigger scene than Nicole is, I simply offer a half-smile and shrug my shoulders in his direction. His lips turn upwards to return my actions, sending me an empathetic grin and nod of understanding, before turning back towards his bunk to stop the food fight that has broken out around the table.

I take a deep breath to compose myself and quickly walk back towards my bunk's table, where I slump down in the open chair at the end of the table. I start nibbling on the piece of fried chicken on my plate as Jessica says loudly,

"Jude, you're like, famous now."

"Dude, she was famous before," Lauren reminds her.

"I know, but now she's like…_infamous_," Jessica says with far too much emphasis on the end of the sentence.

Instead of responding, I roll my eyes and turn back towards my chicken. Can this day get any worse?

"Can I have your attention please?" I hear from the front of the room. I glance up to see Josh standing up, holding a microphone in one hand and his clipboard in the other.

The group at the back of the room starts to disperse as he asks everyone to take their seats. Quiet begins to settle over the room as he clears his throat and looks out into the room full of campers and staff members.

"Good evening, everyone," he says. "Since tonight marks the official last week of camp, we've decided to do something special to celebrate. For the next three days, we're going to replace our usual schedule of music, arts, and sports with something different - something we think you will all enjoy."

As he pauses at the end of his sentence, all of a sudden, the front doors to the dining hall burst open and a group of primary counselors, dressed in a rainbow of colors, run into the dining hall screaming and shouting.

"What the…" I mumble, nearly being taken out by a girl dressed in all green waving a flag directly over my head.

"Welcome to the first annual Camp Marion color war!!" Josh shouts loudly into the microphone.

The girls in my bunk all appear to be excited and are clapping wildly while I continue to stare around in complete bewilderment.

"I don't get it," I say, looking to my bunk for an explanation. "What does that mean?"

"You never went to camp?" Jessica asks in response, to which I shake my head no. "Well, color war…we had it at this day camp that I went to…they basically divide the camp into teams and we play games and compete against each other."

"It's really fun," Karly chimes in. "You have to wear the color of your team and do all of these events together. Everybody gets into it."

"It's a big camp thing," Jessica finishes, as I nod in understanding.

Three days of playing games and competing with each other? I actually begin to feel the relief wash over me as I realize that I won't need to suffer the awkwardness of songwriting with Tommy or "run into" Nicole during our off periods. And the energy in the room has become intoxicating as I start to feel an edge of excitement.

"And now for the teams," Josh announces as the room begins to quiet again.

And just like that, my enthusiasm has changed into an overwhelming sense of panic. Teams? Oh no, this could be a recipe for disaster…what if I'm on Tommy's team? Or even worse, what if I'm on Nicole's team? I don't think I could handle spending every period of every day together…but they wouldn't do that to me, would they?

He begins reading through the rosters, starting with the youngest campers and working his way up through the staff assigned to each team. I swallow loudly as he makes his way through the first two teams, not hearing my name announced or Nicole's. Sadie, Wally, and Amy were assigned to the gold team while Tommy and Karma were called as part of the blue team. So at least Tommy and Nicole aren't together. Score one point for me.

"And the red team," Josh begins, reading down the list of campers until he reaches the staff members. "Robin Wiseman, Chad Johnston, Becky Brown, Jenny Davidson, Josh Dwyer, John Talons, Lauren Staler…Vincent Speiderman…

"Yes!" I hear from a table in the back, making me giggle to myself.

"Nicole Rider," Josh continues, flashing a quick glance up towards the back of the room where Nicole is seated.

"Jeremy Gold, Stephanie Roth, Kwest…"

"Alana King and….Jude Harrison."

At the sound of my name, I audibly gasp, realizing that I've been assigned to the same team as Nicole.

No, no, no! This can't be happening.

Someone really doesn't like me.

All around me, everyone in the camp has started booing at the sound of my name. I look around in complete mortification, slumping down further in my seat. I feel like yelling to the whole camp that they don't know what they're booing at…that I'm not the one they should be against, but before I get the chance to fight for myself, Josh resumes speaking, announcing the last list of members on the green team.

- - -

"How could they do that?" I say to Amy as Josh finishes reading the rosters and everyone gets up to leave from dinner. I'm nearly shaking in my seat, unable to move, with the notion that Nicole and I will be forced to be together over the next few days.

Amy shakes her head and sits down on the bench beside me. "I have no idea…they probably assigned the teams before all of this happened."

"But she's the sister of the guy who created the teams," I attest. "She couldn't have asked him to change it? Or he didn't realize that this would be bad?"

Amy shrugs innocently, obviously wanting to give her boyfriend the benefit of the doubt. "I don't know, Jude…"

We both become quiet for a few moments as I question whether I should say what I'm thinking. But before I have a chance to filter it, I open my mouth and say,

"He could be involved in this too, Amy," I say quietly.

She looks at me with wide eyes, cocking her head at me questioningly. "What?"

"Josh," I say more convincingly. "He could be involved in this whole Talk National thing too…I mean, he _is_ her brother…I'm sure he has connections…"

"Jude," she says, cutting me off. "Don't do that. Don't accuse people like that."

"I'm not accusing, I'm just _questioning_," I reply, trying not to upset her but knowing by the look on her face that it's already too late.

She takes a deep breath and I can tell that I've crossed the line. I shouldn't have said it. I shouldn't even be thinking it…but still…it is possible…

"You don't know him," Amy says firmly, looking at me with such intensity that I'm actually feeling nervous. "Just because he's related to her doesn't mean that he acts the same way."

"I know, but I—"

"And let's not forget that he actually helped you," she continues, ignoring my words. "He agreed to take his own sister out of _your _program so that you could spend more alone time with her boyfriend."

"Yeah, but he did that because his job was at risk, Amy—"

"Not to mention the fact that you don't even know that Nicole did anything wrong!" she exclaims, fully heated, with her face turning a light shade of pink.

"Ok, ok," I say, trying to calm her down. But before I can say another word, she has already stood from her seat and looks like she's about to explode.

"You know, I've tried really hard to be a good friend to you, Jude," she says with her arms crossed at her chest. "But you can't go around pointing your finger at anybody who doesn't play nice with you!"

"I don't need people to play nice—"

"Not everyone is manipulative and devious," she interrupts. "Some of us are actually good people. Although lately, I'm having trouble figuring out which side you're on."

My jaw drops in complete shock at the sound of her words, as she immediately turns on her heel to leave. I watch her take off towards the door, pushing it open with such force that it makes a loud banging sound against the wall.

I'm left sitting at the table, my mouth still agape, repeating Amy's words in my head. I know I shouldn't have said what I did, but to imply that I'm not a good person is just ridiculous. I give money to charity, I slow for animals, and I even gave some of my t-shirts to Jessica to sell on ebay. How can she think I'm not a good person?

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, and slide my chair back to stand up. As I do, I hear footsteps and muffled voices coming from the aisle behind me. I turn to see who else is still here and my eyes rest on the still weepy Nicole, her tears streaked all down her face, leaning against her friend, Leslie.

I find myself completely stuck in the position I'm in, unable to budge, as they make their way down the aisle towards me. As she gets closer, her eyes lift and she sees me standing there watching her. My heart starts to pound in my chest as I watch her facial expression quickly change from sadness to anger.

As she gets closer to my table, she stops walking, Leslie pausing alongside her. She crosses her arms and furrows her brow, staring hard at me for a few moments and actually making me feel scared for my own safety.

If she tries to hit me, what do I do? I knew I should've taken that self-defense class with Sadie.

Just as my panic starts to mount, she cries out at the top of her lungs,

"Bitch!"

I then watch in shock as she breaks back into sobs and runs off towards the door. Leslie quickly follows her, not bothering to give me a second glance before leading her out the door.

Great. This is going to be an excellent few days.


	36. Chapter 35

Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I needed to get some inspiration, which luckily I found within a trip to the beach, a visit to my old summer camp, and some amazing books (twilight anyone?). So hopefully the wait will be worthwhile. And if not, just wait for the next couple of chapters...there will be many things revealed (including some parts of this chapter that aren't fully explained). Please be patient, answers are coming soon!

Thanks so much to everyone for sticking with me! I appreciate all of your comments and posts, so please keep letting me know what you think! And of course...enjoy!

* * *

I tie the bright red scarf around my pony tail, carefully pulling it tightly, and look at my reflection in the mirror. My immediate thought is how tired I look. Three weeks of camp, ten campers, close to 100 songwriting programs, breaking up with one boyfriend, basically losing another, all while seeing my reputation plummet into the toilet, have made for one exhausting summer.

I take a deep breath and internally remind myself how strong I am.

I can do this. I've been through so much in my life and this last week of camp will be no different. I can get through this. I _have_ to get through this.

"Are you talking to yourself again?" I hear from behind me, glancing in the mirror to see Jessica's reflection looking back at me.

"Did I actually say those things out loud?" I ask, my head starting to spin.

"Yep," she replies with a nod. "Are you losing your mind, Jude?"

"No," I assert, whipping around to look at her. "Why? Does it look like I am?"

She shrugs and glances at me hesitantly. "I don't know…talking to yourself in the mirror, not going out last night, waking up later than usual…are you suicidal or something?"

I raise my brows at her. "Suicidal? No. Sleep deprived? Yes."

"Okay, well, if you want to talk or whatever…" she responds, alluding to the idea that I should go to my camper to vent.

I try to keep my smirk quiet as I say, "Since when have you become so maternal, Jessica?"

"Someone needs to be," she replies, gazing past me to look at her reflection in the mirror. She stops to fluff her hair, reminding me that she is, in fact, thirteen.

"Jessica, I appreciate your concern, but really, I'm fine. I've been through much worse than this."

"Yes, I heard," she says, thinking for a moment before repeating my own words back to me with her usual overdramatic flair. "I'm strong! I can get through this!"

"I _am_," I say, slightly offended by her mocking tone. "And I definitely don't need to be looked after by a thirteen year-old."

She scoffs loudly at my statement, turning to look at me. "Okay…but the way I see it, I'm pretty much all you've got."

At that, she turns back around, fluffs her hair one last time and leaves the bathroom.

Crap. I think she might actually have a point.

- - -

I need to work down my priority list of potential disasters. And instead of starting with the biggest possible catastrophe, I'm going to start with the easiest one to resolve: Amy.

I approach her bed at the front of the bunk, watching her for a moment as she stares into the mirror against the wall and carefully applies a layer of gold eyeshadow to her eyelids.

"I can see you standing there," she mutters, not budging from her position with the wand over her eye.

"Sorry," I mumble, biting my lip as I nervously wait for her to finish.

"Did you want something or were you just interested in learning some tips on how to apply eyeshadow?"

"No…I wanted to talk to you actually," I say quickly, swallowing my nerves which have suddenly surfaced.

"So talk," she says flatly, continuing to apply her eye makeup.

It appears as though she's not going to turn around, so I need to do my best to diffuse this situation before she pokes me in the eye with her wand.

"Amy, I'm really sorry about what I said about Josh," I state with as must sincerity as I can muster. "I didn't mean it…it just kind of came out…and I was upset about the team assignments."

She doesn't respond or move from her position as I pause from my apology.

Hmm…okay…keep going, I suppose.

"I know that Josh and Nicole are siblings," I continue, waiting for her to interject at any moment, "but I guess I really shouldn't be judging either of them. Especially not together."

She dips her wand back into the gold eye makeup and continues to line her lids as I struggle to add more to my already lengthy apology.

"I know Josh is a good guy. I never thought he wasn't…I just got…carried away."

I stop at this point, waiting for a few long moments, praying that she'll make some sort of recognition of my words. I'll take anything - a nod, a glance into the mirror - anything that makes it seem like I might be forgiven.

I bite my lip, watching her finish lining her lids and put down the wand. She slowly turns around on the bed to face me, sighing as she sees the desperate look on my face.

"I'm sorry too," she says quietly, looking down at her comforter. "I think I got a little…intense."

"You had every right to," I reply, immediately feeling myself relax at her apology. "What I said was horrible. Josh hasn't done anything wrong, so I shouldn't have said what I did."

"Yeah, but still…I shouldn't have jumped on you like that," she admits, shaking her head. "It's just that Josh really isn't like his sister. In fact, he's been trying really hard to _not_ get involved in her life."

I look at her in confusion, her statement taking me by surprise.

"Why?"

"He thinks she likes drama too much," she explains with a shrug. "He once told me that trouble always tends to follow Nicole…and if it doesn't, she'll create it herself."

I smirk at her words, obviously knowing first-hand how much that girl loves drama.

"But Josh, he tries to avoid that stuff," Amy continues, looking at me convincingly. "He takes his job really seriously. That's part of why we're keeping our relationship quiet. He wants Darius and everyone else to focus on the job he's doing instead of what else he has going on in his life."

"That makes sense," I say, retreating to my bed and sitting down.

"He just doesn't want people to mistake him for his sister," she finishes. "They're totally different."

"I understand," I reply. "I like Sadie, but I don't really want to be judged for her actions. She's not always the brightest bulb in the bunch."

Amy emits a quiet snicker, appearing to be more at ease in my presence.

"I'm sorry," I say softly. "I didn't know…and it wasn't my place."

"It's okay," she replies with a comforting nod.

"Have you guys talked about what you'll do once camp is over?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"A little," she says hesitantly. "It's kind of a touchy subject. I'm off to university next year and Josh is hoping to make this camp director thing a full-time job. So I guess it's up in the air."

"I'm sure you'll work it out," I assert, trying to be positive. "You two seem to have something special. You'll definitely find a way to make it work."

"I hope so," she says with a slight edge of nervousness. But as quickly as her distress develops, it disappears and she looks up at me with a small grin.

"So," she starts, seemingly back to normal, "what are you going to do about Nicole?"

"Ugh, I have no idea," I reply, sighing deeply. "These next few days of color war are going to be torture."

"And what about the article? Did you find out anything more about the person who gave the interview?"

"Nope. But I have an inside source working on it," I respond with a mischievous grin.

She eyes me suspiciously but shakes her head. "I'm not even going to ask."

I laugh at her response. "You don't want to know."

"My suggestion?" she says, standing from her bed. "Just ignore her. Whatever Nicole does, she's just looking for attention. So don't get sucked into her web of drama."

I can't stop the smirk from escaping my lips as I shake my head and say, "I think it's too late for that."

"Good point," she says, smiling as she opens the door to the campers' section to get them together for our first period.

- - -

I was never good at sports. Sadie was the athlete – I was the musician. That was the way it's always worked.

Yet, here I am, standing on the edge of the soccer field, giving my campers on the red team support as they kick the ball from one side of the field to the other.

Honestly, I have no clue what's going on. My eyes are having trouble following the white ball around the field. And even though everyone is wearing their team colors, I continually find myself cheering for the wrong team.

I hear screams from further down the sidelines and my eyes automatically drift towards the sound.

And there is Nicole cheering on our same team.

Ugh.

It would be one thing if we were separated, not having to be at the same activities. But since my life always seems to go the wrong way, we were actually paired together, being forced to watch the 13 and 14 year olds all day together.

As my eyes glance towards her, she looks over and meets my gaze, raising her brows at me down the field. I quickly look away and cross my arms, taking a deep breath to keep myself from doing anything rash.

But as I attempt to focus back on the game, I hear the crunch of the grass beside me and feel her walking towards me. She stops a few inches away, turning to watch the game alongside me.

"You know, it really would help if you cheered for the right team," she mutters, her eyes staying focused on the field. "You're going to give our campers a complex."

"You know what would help me?" I respond, completely forgetting Amy's advice to not entertain her. "If you moved back to the far end of the field."

Her eyes grow wide as she glares at me intently.

"I'm sorry, am I invading your territory?" she asks with a sarcastic edge. "I thought only you were allowed to do that."

I now realize that we're no longer talking about the game.

I roll my eyes and huff loudly, hoping that she'll walk back down the field at any moment.

"What's the problem?" she asks innocently. "Am I wrong? Have you not been invading other people's territory?"

I struggle internally with myself, unable to decide whether to respond or just let it go.

"It doesn't matter anyway," she continues, her eyes shifting back towards the field as she proudly adds, "Tommy already told me that you were a mistake."

"Excuse me?" I ask, my eyes nearly jumping out of their sockets.

"Tommy explained everything," she replies, a small grin emerging on her face as she continues to watch the game in front of us. "He apologized and said that whatever happened with you was just a misstep and obviously a huge mistake."

"What…but we…we didn't even do anything," I mumble, taken aback by her words.

She rolls her eyes at my attempt to fight for myself, saying confidently, "It really doesn't matter now since your little game is over, Jude. He and I are back together. So I suggest you try to find someone who actually likes you instead of trying to steal someone else's boyfriend."

My jaw drops by the end of her little speech, the fury rising within my whole system.

But before I can figure out whether it's better to punch her or scream at her, she turns to face me and adds,

"Oh, and I don't think I'll be needing those singing lessons anymore. Tommy offered to help me with some private, one-on-one sessions," she says, revealing a smug grin, as she turns to walk back towards the other end of the field.

I feel my heart begin to pound as I watch her walk away, my fury quickly becoming an outright rage. My mind is whirling, trying to recall everything she has just said. Tommy apologized? They're back together??

I take deep breaths and try to refocus my attention on the game. But I find myself constantly questioning if I was just imagining the moments he and I shared together, if our attraction was actually just one-sided. I replay the time we spent together in the infirmary, our songwriting programs, our flirting turned makeout session…none of our actions constituted an "illicit affair," but they still meant something…didn't they?

Is it possible that none of it mattered to him? Could I really have been a mistake?

I suddenly find myself more angry than I was before. And I realize that I'm not angry with Nicole – I'm angry with Tommy.

And the only way I'm going to find answers is to go straight to the source.

- - -

As I drop my kids off at the rec hall for a massive Name That Tune competition, I walk back outside and scan the camp grounds.

Josh is at the pool watching a swimming competition. Darius is at the office with Sadie. All of the female counselors are in the rec hall behind me and the male counselors are at sporting games with their teams.

So based on my calculations and how fast Josh can run, I'm estimating that I have exactly fifteen minutes to find Tommy before I'm found and escorted back to the rec hall.

I take off as fast as I can, considering all of the possible sports activities where Tommy could be. I reach the dirt road, carefully watching Josh at the pool from the corner of my eye, and continue to run towards the basketball courts. As I get closer, I look at the kids playing and see that they're too young to be Tommy's campers. Okay…not basketball.

I continue along the dirt road, my heart beating in my chest, and suddenly stop as I see a softball game in front of me. The kids appear to be a little older, so I quickly scan the field to see if he's there.

Just as I'm about to give up, I hear a voice coming from a figure with his back to me. He's cheering on his team and yelling for one of his kids to back up further into the outfield.

Wow. Who knew Tommy liked softball?

I feel my heart start to beat more rapidly than during my run. My nerves have suddenly resurfaced and I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat, taking a tentative step towards him.

"Hey," I say, approaching his side. He turns to look at me, his brows raised in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"I need to talk to you," I say quietly, biting my lip. I'm trying to remember to breathe and slow my racing heart, but it doesn't seem to want to listen.

He glances around at the game and his campers, his eyes settling on another staff member a few feet away.

"Hey, Mike, are you okay if I step away for a couple of minutes?"

The guy who I assume is Mike nods and replies, "Sure. I got it covered."

I grin at Mike as his eyes meet mine, trying to send him waves of thanks. I feel his eyes still on us as I start to follow Tommy away from the softball field and back onto the dirt road.

"What's up?" he asks, cocking his head at me.

It's funny how he acts like nothing's wrong. Like nothing's happening in either of our lives. Like I just came to shoot the breeze and check out how he looks playing softball.

I take a deep breath to compose myself and say, "We need to talk. About something Nicole told me this morning….about a conversation she had with you earlier."

Not wanting to rehash the details, I pause, hoping that he'll catch my drift. He appears confused for a few moments, but realization quickly dawns on him as he emits a long sigh and puts his hands on the sides of his head.

"How much did she tell you?"

"Enough," I answer blankly, crossing my arms and staring hard at him. "What are you doing, Tommy?"

He's clearly thrown off by my question as he furrows his brows at me. "What do you mean?"

"What are you doing? With _her_?" I ask again, emphasizing the reference to Nicole.

He groans in response, his eyes drifting downwards as he starts to kick aimlessly at the dirt on the road.

"You're still with her?" I ask, not being able to conceal my own frustration.

He stares up at the sky, breathing loudly and emits a quiet, "Yeah."

"Why?" I ask, my tone growing more heated. "Why did you apologize for something we didn't really do?"

He grows silent and gazes towards the game, obviously not wanting to answer my question.

"Why are you still with her?" I ask again, more softly, taking a hesitant step towards him.

He finally looks at me with a serious expression, his eyes reflecting his own inner turmoil. But he remains quiet, still appearing to struggle with his response.

"I don't understand," I plead, my eyes never leaving his. "Why didn't you stick up for me? For us? Do I really not mean anything to you?"

I see him start to break down, taking a few breaths before quietly replying,

"No, of course you do, but…it's complicated, Jude."

I shake my head, unwilling to accept that explanation.

"No, Tommy. You don't get off that easy…explain it to me."

"I can't," he mutters, taking a step away from me, his expression suddenly growing colder and more distant.

"Why not? What am I missing here?" I ask, my voice cracking as I feel my emotions change from frustration to sadness.

"Jude," he starts, running a hand through his hair.

But just as it looks like he's about to delve into an explanation, I hear my name being called from behind me. I turn around to see Sadie running towards me, raising her hand in the air.

"Jude! I need you!" she calls, approaching me.

I sigh in frustration, turning towards her.

"I'll go back to the rec hall in a minute, Sadie," I say hastily, wanting Tommy to finish.

"That's not it," she says with a sense of urgency. "I need you. It's important."

I glance back at Tommy, my disappointment transparent. As much as I need to hear what he's about to say, I know that Sadie will not give up until I talk to her.

"I guess I have to go. But can we continue this later? Please?" I ask, searching his eyes desperately.

He offers a small nod then silently turns and walks back towards the softball field. I watch him go for a few moments, biting my lip and wondering what he was going to say.

"Sorry," I hear from behind me, realizing that Sadie was still standing there. "Did I interrupt something?"

I sigh loudly and turn back towards her. "Just your average daily meltdown."

"Well I think I have something that might cheer you up," she says, a small grin appearing on her face. She digs into her pocket and pulls out a small piece of folded paper, handing it to me.

"Here," she says, as I take it.

"What's this?"

"It's what you asked me for," she says, her smile growing wider. "Mission accomplished."

I scan the words on the paper and instantly feel all of my distress fade away. I look up at her with a grin, feeling my first sense of excitement in weeks.

"You rock, Sadie."

"I know," she says, flipping her hair. "What are you going to do now?"

I take a deep breath and look at her more solemnly.

"I'm going to end this whole nightmare – once and for all."


	37. Chapter 36

Hi guys - sorry for the wait on this one, but this chapter will hopefully be worth it! Finally, we have reached the peak of our story - the height of the drama. Yay! And I just hope it doesn't disappoint. Some questions will be answered in this chapter while others will be covered later on, but I can assure you that there is not a dull moment. :) And btw, I apologize for language at the end but it seemed to fit perfectly.

Thank you all so much for all of your reviews! You guys all write the best comments and I appreciate all of them. So please let me know what you think of this one! I hope you all enjoy!!

* * *

"I'm going to confront her."

Karma's eyes grow wide at the sound of my words, stopping her shimmying on the stage and gazing down at me. "Excuse me?"

"I'm going to talk to her. It's time."

She looks around at the ten campers on the stage with her and claps her hands loudly.

"Ok, take five, everyone. You can keep practicing out back if you want, but I have an emergency on my hands," she says, turning back towards me and adding, "My friend Jude here is about to commit social suicide."

I roll my eyes as all of the kids start to gather their belongings and head out the back door. Karma jumps off the stage and walks over to me, her eyes scrutinizing mine.

"I'm sorry, perhaps the sun has seeped into my brain. Did you say that you are planning to confront her? As in, Nicole?"

I nod quickly and watch as her face goes from surprise to disappointment. She shakes her head at me and sighs loudly.

"Oh Jude…so young, so naïve," she trails, strolling towards the side of the stage to grab a bottle of water.

"What?" I ask, now feeling like the confused one. "I can't take this anymore, Karma. And Sadie helped me get some dirt on her that proves that she was the one who gave the interview."

Karma turns back towards me and shrugs. "So?"

At her indifference, I furrow my brow and throw my hands up in the air. "So? _So_ – she's making my life completely miserable! And it has to stop!"

"And you think confronting her is going to help?" she replies, making her way back towards me. "Haven't we been through this before?"

Instinctively, I groan loudly, grabbing my hair. "Karma…you confuse me. First, you offer to help—"

"I never offered to help," she interrupts quickly. "I offered to make a deal. Remember?"

I roll my eyes at her but continue my speech. "First, you offer to help…with stipulations. Then you tell me to take her down. And now you're telling me not to say anything at all?"

"A girl's allowed to change her mind, Jude," she replies with a shrug. "You should know that better than anyone."

Ignoring her, I take a deep breath to relax, wanting nothing more than to understand what she's trying to tell me.

"Karma. Please. Explain."

"Well, I thought about it more and I realized that if you go after her, you're just setting yourself up," she explains. "Nicole is never going to give up, regardless of how much dirt you have on her. She wants that record contract and you trying to intimidate her isn't going to work."

I shake my head, unconvinced. "I don't know…if she realizes that I know about her and Talk National, I think she'd do whatever she can to protect her image."

"I just don't think it's that simple," Karma disagrees. "Are you planning to tell her about the Tommy thing too?"

"About her scheme of using him?" I ask, to which she nods. "Maybe. If I'm being honest, I probably should…although I don't know if I really want to go there."

"I wouldn't if I were you," Karma warns. "Jude, when we made that deal at the beginning of the summer, I had no idea what that girl was capable of. Now, seeing her in action, and how she completely ruined your reputation, I wouldn't step within ten feet of her."

I smirk at her words, "And I thought you liked drama."

"I do, but only when I come out on top," she admits, pausing for a moment and adding, "Not literally of course. Although if he's cute enough, sometimes that can work to your benefit too…"

"Karma!," I exclaim, trying to bring her back to the topic at hand.

"Right, sorry," she says, refocused. "This is bad news Jude, so whatever you do, just make sure my name isn't mentioned."

"Thanks for the support," I mutter in irritation.

"In fact," she continues, backing away from me, "we shouldn't even be seen together. Someone could see us and think I'm involved! And then you're going to ruin _my_ reputation!"

"Karma…"

"I think it's time for you to go now, Jude…person…whoever you are," she calls, walking quickly towards the back door.

"Just for the record, your reputation can't get much worse than it already is!" I yell after her, hearing the back door slam in response.

- - -

I enter the staff lounge an hour before dinner, finally having my off period. I've decided with this free hour, I am going to use it to consider Karma's advice and decide how to handle this.

I slump down on the couch, covering my face with my hands as I weigh my options.

On one hand, Karma could be right. By confronting Nicole, I could end up making this situation worse.

But on the other hand, if I let this go further, people will continue to hate me and I'll be forced to keep watching Tommy and Nicole together.

The one thing I know for sure is that all of this needs to end. Nicole has successfully ruined my summer and I'll be damned if I let her get away with it for any longer.

In the midst of my thoughts, I hear a familiar voice,

"Ok, Ben. Here's the bathroom. But go quickly. You shouldn't be in here…this is the staff bathroom."

I then hear a boy say, "Ok, ok, I get it. Ooo, you guys have real toilet paper in here…nice."

I remove my hands from my eyes and see Tommy standing outside the bathroom in the corner, impatiently waiting for his camper.

I can't help but grin watching him, appearing paranoid that someone will catch him bringing a camper to the staff bathroom.

His eyes scan the room until they meet mine. I smile at him, stand up, and walk over.

"Sneaking a kid in to use the staff restroom?" I ask with a teasing grin. "You really are rebellious, Quincy."

"He had to go," he replies with a shrug. "I didn't want him to pee all over the tennis court."

"No, I guess that wouldn't be good," I reply with a light snicker. My expression then turns more serious as I remember our earlier conversation.

"So…I know you're on bathroom duty, but do you think maybe we could continue our conversation from before?" I ask timidly, searching his eyes for some indication of hope.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I actually have to get back to my team," he says, glancing towards the bathroom door which is still closed. He looks back at me, seeing my disappointment, and adds, "But…maybe we can talk later tonight?"

I automatically grin. "Sure, that sounds good. Do you want to meet here?"

As he begins to nod in response, I notice Nicole has appeared in the room and is now stationed beside him, linking her arm around his as though she's marking her territory. Where did she come from??

"I'm sorry, you're meeting up with my boyfriend?" she says, cocking her head at me.

I breathe to myself, trying to remain calm, and say, "Yes. You can have him back when we're done."

She lets out a light, mocking laugh, and replies, "How sweet of you. But actually, Tommy and I need to work on my song tonight for the talent show. Right, babe?" she asks, looking at him.

Tommy appears uncomfortable for a few moments, clearing his throat and shifting his weight from side to side. But ultimately, he looks back at me and says, "Sorry…I umm, forgot. Tomorrow?"

I nod wordlessly, looking down at the ground in defeat. Before any of us can say another word, the door to the bathroom opens and a boy wearing a blue t-shirt emerges.

"Done," the camper announces.

Still unnerved by our conversation, Tommy quickly nods and looks back at us. "See you later," he says, making sure to not direct the statement towards either of us in particular.

He walks his camper towards the door and opens it, quickly disappearing into the outside.

Standing alone in the lounge, I look at Nicole, her expression still focused on the door.

Okay…so here we are - the two of us, in an empty room, with comfy couches. I can't help but think that this could be the perfect opportunity to talk. Calmly. Rationally. She doesn't look like she's going to freak out on me. Although there are no witnesses if she decides to go for the kill.

She glances at me briefly before turning to leave.

"Nicole," I say, stopping her in her tracks. "Do you have a sec? I was hoping we could…talk." The word_ talk_ comes out forced, as though it were code for _fight_.

She looks at me closely, trying hard to read my intentions.

"It'll just take a minute," I add, sensing her hesitation.

I start to walk towards the couch on the far end of the room, glancing back at her as I take a seat. She's still standing near the entrance, clearly debating whether or not to follow, but sighs loudly and walks towards the couch opposite me.

She sits down with a huff and a look of annoyance, as though this is a huge waste of her time.

My heart is beating loudly in my ears and I try to remember Karma's advice.

_Don't make this bigger than it needs to be. Don't go too far. Be calm. Be mature._

I take a deep breath, trying to maintain a light and relaxed mood and say, "I just wanted to say that I know we've had our differences, but I would appreciate it if you could put your issues with me aside until camp is over."

She blinks at me, but maintains a cold expression.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because we're on the same team for the next couple of days, and for the benefit of the kids, we need to be respectful of each other."

She gazes at me incredulously and says, "I'm always respectful, but only when the respect is justified."

I swallow the list of expletives that immediately comes to mind and simply reply, "And it's not justified? Not even for the sake of the 13 and 14 year old girls we're watching?"

"No," she states blankly. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

I scoff, feeling myself become irritated by her unwillingness to be reasonable.

"You can't fake it?"

"No," she says quickly, uncaringly. "I can't fake respect for someone who doesn't deserve it."

I take a deep breath, still trying to remain calm, and shake my head.

"_I'm_ willing to try," I assert, knowing that I'm treading on thin ice. "Even though I don't feel that you're worth _my_ respect."

"Oh please," she says, rolling her eyes. "How about this? You can respect me all you want and I'll just act like you don't exist."

"That might be hard considering we're on the same color war team and I teach songwriting with your boyfriend," I remind her.

"Watch me," she poses. "As long as you stay away from me and my boyfriend, then I think we can get along fine."

I try to maintain my composure, but I already feel my blood pressure begin to rise.

"You can't control me," I challenge.

"I'm not trying to," she replies, feigning innocence. "It's not my fault that you can't learn how to stay away from people who don't want you in their lives."

Seeing the satisfied smirk on her face, I feel the anger rapidly build inside of me. There is no way she is able to be a mature adult about this. How could I have thought she would?

Fine. Then, I'm moving on to Plan B. Skip the maturity and let her have it.

"Ok, Nicole. I'll leave you alone. But before I do, I just remembered that I actually have a message for you."

"A message?"

"You got a call from a Steve Rudman this morning," I say, his name rolling off my tongue as casually as possible.

I watch as her eyes grow wide and her jaw gapes open.

"What?"

"A Steve Rudman," I repeat, pulling the piece of paper that Sadie gave me out of my pocket. "From Talk National. He says to thank you for your help with yesterday's article and wants to know if you would be interested in doing a follow up interview."

I glance at her, attempting to hide my grin of triumph, and wait for the impact of my words to hit her.

She looks at me with a mixture of alarm and confusion, slowly standing from her seat on the couch.

"What…I don't know who that is."

"Well, isn't that funny? Because he seems to know exactly who you are," I reply sharply, standing too. "And I'm sure he'd be willing to elaborate if you don't remember."

Silence grows between us and I can feel her panic mounting.

"How…how did you get that message?"

"You're not the only one with connections around this camp," I point out, the grin beginning to surface. "I happen to know someone at the office. Did you know that they keep records of all incoming and outgoing calls? I didn't. But I guess it's important to keep tabs on everything."

"You…you…but I…"

I cross my arms around my chest and glare at her in victory.

"So…would you like to reconsider the whole being cordial for the kids bit? Or do you still think you deserve more respect than I do?" I ask with a biting edge. "Because this really doesn't seem like something worthy of anyone's respect."

"I don't owe you an explanation," she states assertively. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" I repeat in disbelief. "So, making up a story about two people having a secret love affair isn't wrong in your book?"

"That story was not made up," she replies quickly. "I saw you two kissing. That story was all founded in truth! It was just…embellished a bit."

I feel an odd sense of relief in knowing that she was, in fact, the mystery intruder. For once, I was actually correct.

But I focus back on her, unwilling to accept that her actions were warranted. "That story was far more than embellished."

"I did what I had to do to protect my relationship with Tommy," she says, her voice growing stronger. "He's the most important person in my life."

"That's how you treat the most important person in your life? By making up stories and selling them to trashy tabloids?" I question. "I'd hate to see what you do to people you don't like."

She crosses her arms defensively. "You don't know anything about me and Tommy. I genuinely want to be with him! I…I love him."

I can't help but release a startled laugh. "Love? You _love_ him? You don't even _know_ him!"

She glares angrily at me, the fury building behind her eyes. "Oh, and you do? You're no one to him! You're just a bitter, desperate ex-girlfriend."

Her words hit me hard, making me visibly shrink back.

My anger quickly starts to spiral out of control and before I can stop myself, my mouth opens and I say the words that are waiting on the tip of my tongue to come out.

"_I'm_ desperate? Tell me Nicole, why exactly are you dating Tommy?"

She looks at me in confusion, shaking her head. "I don't know what you mean."

"Tell me," I start, eyeing her closely, "do you really expect people to believe that you care about Tommy? You think people will actually buy that it's mere coincidence that your boyfriend is a famous producer at a huge record label?"

"What? That has nothing to do with it—"

"Oh really? I wonder if your friend _Leslie _would agree," I spit out, saying her name with great emphasis.

"Leslie?" she repeats, furrowing her brow. "Why would she care?"

"Well, I think she might be able to recount a story about how her best friend developed this plan to use her boyfriend to get a record contract. Wait – I believe your wording was something like, 'I will officially become a signed artist before September.'"

Her eyes go wide. Before she can say anything, I add,

"Sound familiar?"

"You...you…you listened in on our conversation??"

"Your conversation was in the staff lounge," I remind her. "In public. For anyone to hear. I happened to be sitting there."

I continue, "I heard about how you have Tommy wrapped around your finger and how you didn't care about what you were doing to him. I heard it all."

Her mouth drops open, as I add, "And now with this little insight on the source of that interview, I think Tommy will be quite shocked to learn who his girlfriend really is."

Her eyes narrow as she stares at me intensely. "You wouldn't dare…"

"Why not? What do I have to lose? I wanted to play nice, Nicole, but you didn't. So if it's got to be like this…then so be it."

She is visibly fuming, her face turning a shade of crimson, as she huffs loudly and shakes her head.

"No! You will not ruin my chances at stardom!"

I let out a roar of laughter, "Stardom? I hate to break it to you but I think the only way you'll be a star is if you lip synch!"

At this point, I realize that we're standing about 5 feet apart, both with our hands on our hips, prepared for battle. And judging by the words that are coming out of each of our mouths, this is not a battle that will end well.

"Tommy's never going to believe you," she claims vehemently. "He's just going to see what I see – some girl who can't handle the fact that she's not his first choice."

"See, that's where you're wrong," I start. "Tommy knows me. He knows I wouldn't lie."

"Oh really? So why did you keep this a secret, Jude?" she retorts angrily. "Why did you hide it from him? The way I see it, _you _lied too."

"No," I say, shaking my head fiercely. "This is different."

"No, it's not," she disagrees, her confidence starting to return. "In fact, you're not so sweet and innocent yourself. You get your sister to snoop through my phone messages, you keep secrets from your friends, and to top it all off, you had me taken out of _your_ songwriting program!"

Her words completely take me by surprise, releasing an audible gasp that echoes off the walls.

"I…I didn't…" I stumble, knowing that my reaction actually makes me look more guilty.

"Well I have information that says otherwise," she says smugly.

Josh.

Ugh! I knew it!!

I cross my arms around my chest in frustration, not knowing how to respond.

Through gritted teeth, I attempt to explain. "I asked for you to be moved because I couldn't stand what you were doing to Tommy. He's too good for you. He doesn't deserve that!"

"And I suppose you think that someone like you would be better for him?" she replies condescendingly. "Someone who lies and manipulates situations behind his back? Someone who dates one person but hooks up with someone else's boyfriend on the side?"

"What?" I ask, my voice wavering, all of her accusations starting to affect me. She's twisting everything around…I was just trying to help Tommy. To protect him! I have good reasons behind all of this!

"No! You're getting this all wrong!" I cry, no longer able to hold back.

"You played with Tommy's emotions. And Jamie's. And mine!" she shouts, flinging her arms in the air. "And you think you're really better than I am? Worthy of my respect?"

"No!! You don't understand! I didn't do any of that for myself!"

"Like hell you didn't!"

"You don't know—"

"Enough!" we hear from the doorway, a loud booming voice interrupting our screaming match and making both of us jump.

Nicole and I instantly stop and turn towards the door to see the source of the disruption.

There, standing in front of the door, is Tommy.

His face is red and he's balling his fists at his sides.

My heart immediately drops at the sight of him, panic slowly making its way into my system.

Oh no.

No.

Please tell me he didn't just hear any of that.

If he did…if he heard any of Nicole's words…oh no…

He doesn't speak – his eyes simply flicker from hers to mine. But as his gaze meets my own, I can see that his eyes are blazing, the fire about to erupt across the room.

"Tommy…" I mutter, my voice faint.

My heart pounds in my chest as the weight of the situation begins to sink in.

No, no, no…this can't be happening!

As I start to search for words to explain, he emits a loud noise, almost like a growl, in my direction, and immediately storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Shit.


	38. Chapter 37

So I feel like a terrible author for not having posted for so long...I'm soooo sorry! But I hope to make it up to you with this chapter. It's not necessarily a happy chapter, but it does answer a lot of the questions you've all had about Tommy and his motives for dating Nicole. Some of you were right on track with your ideas for his motives but I think most of you will be surprised by what he says. Hopefully no one will be too upset with me by the end though...please try to trust me. :)

Thank you all for your patience with me! If you get a chance to review after reading this chapter, please let me know what you think...this chapter was a tough one for me to write, so I'm really curious to see what everyone thinks. And as always, please ENJOY!

* * *

My heart feels as though it's going to jump out of my chest. I hear the rapid beating loudly in my ears, the only sound left in the room after the door slams. It keeps beating louder and stronger inside my body, a constant reminder of what has happened over the last 30 seconds.

My eyes shift from the doorway to Nicole, who is standing in front of me. Her stance is still defensive with her hands on her hips, but the expression on her face reflects the shock from the scene we've both just witnessed.

What did we just do? How much did Tommy hear? How long was he standing there before interrupting us?

As though she can hear my thoughts, Nicole turns towards me, releasing a long sigh. But instead of being sympathetic and commiserating over our joint uncertainty, she simply says,

"Are you happy now?"

My eyes grow wider at her biting question, feeling my blood begin to boil.

I narrow my eyes at her and respond, "Why would I be _happy_?"

"Because it's all ruined," she says, throwing her hands in the air. "You ruined everything. Now I'm going to have to fix it."

I roll my eyes at her melodramatic attempt at being the heroic savior.

"And how are you going to do that? He might've heard all about you too, you know."

"Then I'll fix that too," she replies immediately. "It's really none of your business anymore Jude. And I think Tommy has made that perfectly clear. You and he are done. As friends, as co-workers, as whatever you think you two are."

At that, she turns and walks towards the door where Tommy has just left, opening it and flying through it like she actually cares about him.

Great. Somehow I know that Nicole's version of "fixing things" definitely is not going to help me one bit. I need to fix this myself. And fast.

- - -

"What's with you?"

Jamie's voice barely breaks through the barrier of my internal thoughts. I'm sitting on the couch in the staff lounge after a long day of fighting, contemplating, and attempting to hide it all to be a positive role model for my campers.

"My whole life is a complete disaster," I mumble, my head between my hands.

"And I thought Sadie was the over-dramatic one," he replies with a light snicker, to which I glance through my hands and shoot him the scariest look I can muster.

Seeing my reaction, his brows raise and he eyes me more seriously. "Whoa…the last time you gave me a look like that was in third grade when I threatened to steal your David Bowie pencil case."

"Jamie, please don't take this the wrong way, but I really don't want to talk about it," I say, sulking further into the couch, wishing it would swallow me whole.

But instead of him leaving, I hear him take a deep breath and take a seat beside me.

"Tough," he replies. "I remember that look very clearly. It can lead to some pretty serious damage if you don't start talking."

I sigh loudly, not knowing how to begin or sum up the tragedy that is my life to my ex-boyfriend.

"Let's just say that I ruined everything in my life that had even the slightest potential of being good," I reply, knowing that I'm treading on thin ice with him. There's no way I'll be able to find comfort with the guy whose heart I broke just a week ago.

"Does that include breaking up with me?" he asks in response, an honest question that takes me a bit off guard.

"Well…that probably didn't help," I mutter, not wanting to really consider where this mess all began.

He accepts my response without question and lets me sulk in peace, until I look up at him and ask the one thing that has been plaguing me all day.

"Why do I always hurt the people that I care about most?"

He remains quiet for a few moments, actually considering my question. Finally, he looks at me seriously and says, "Because Jude, you're you. You're…thoughtful and considerate…and sometimes, that gets you into trouble."

"Aren't those supposed to be compliments?" I wonder aloud.

"Yeah…and they are," he replies, his tone more sincere than condescending. "You do a lot to make other people happy. But sometimes…you sacrifice what _you _want for them. You keep your own needs inside for so long that when they finally come out, they can hurt the people you were trying to help."

I contemplate his words, mulling them over while we sit there in silence. It's an interesting idea…I suppose I do tend to put my own feelings in second place…and when I finally let them out, things don't always go like I plan…

"When we broke up," he starts, gazing down at the ground, "I said that you should start listening to your heart more than your head. And I still believe that. If you're honest with yourself, Jude, then you can be happy and so can everyone else."

I nod in understanding, his words really sinking in. I wanted Tommy to be happy, but I kept my true feelings about Nicole quiet for too long.

I look up at Jamie, his gaze weighing heavy with emotion, and ask skeptically, "Why are you being so nice? I thought you hated me."

He shrugs and responds, "I never hated you…I hated what you put me through. I hated that you weren't honest about how you felt from the beginning…but…I don't hate you. I couldn't."

A small smile pulls at the edges of my lips as I feel some sense of ease knowing that there could be hope for us as friends in the future.

"Besides, you got me through this summer with my torturous campers," he adds with a light smirk.

"Aww, they weren't that bad," I reply with a grin. "You took it like a man…a man who feigned illness every time your bunk had free time together, but a man nonetheless."

He laughs quietly and stands up. "Yeah, let's keep that one a secret, okay?"

I stand too. "It'll be in the vault…thanks, Jamie."

He nods in response, gazing around the room. "I umm…I think I'm going to head back to my bunk. The monsters should be asleep by now."

"Ok," I reply. "Good night, Jamie."

"Night, Jude," he says with a greater sense of cheerfulness than I ever expected to see.

I watch him walk out the front door, sitting back on the couch to reflect on his advice. But as I start to replay his words in my head, the back door to the outdoor porch opens and Nicole walks through. Leslie immediately runs up to her from the other side of the room as I slouch down shamelessly into the couch.

Their conversation is faint but I can vaguely make out,

"He said he wanted some time alone," Nicole explains to Leslie. "I did what I could. I just hope that my begging was enough…"

They continue to talk as they make their way across the room. My heart immediately pounds in my chest with a mix of anger at her actions and nervousness at knowing that Tommy is now sitting outside all alone…which would be the perfect opportunity to talk to him.

I hesitantly stand from the couch, making sure that Nicole and Leslie are fully out of the room before I make my way over to the door to the outdoor porch. I take a deep breath, swallowing the butterflies that have suddenly surfaced in my stomach, and gently turn the knob to push the door open.

I take a tentative step outside, seeing the porch completely empty with the exception of one person sitting quietly in a folding chair, gazing out at the stars in the sky.

I gently close the door behind me, pausing for a moment before stepping further out. He turns slightly at the sound of my footsteps and meets my nervous gaze for just a moment before turning back towards the sky.

I follow his gaze to look out at the sky full of beautiful stars, every constellation visible and clear.

"Wow…it's so pretty…" I mutter quietly, my eyes shifting towards him where he remains stationary.

I take a few deep breaths and look down at the ground, reminding myself why I need to do this. I care about Tommy…he's more important to me than anyone…and I need to make this right. And like Jamie said, I need to be honest, with him and with myself, because that's the only way this is ever truly going to be made right.

I bite my lip and take one last deep breath, starting, "So…about what happened with Nicole…"

He barely recognizes my attempt to open the dreaded topic, as I watch him simply blink into the moonlight.

"How much did you hear?" I ask timidly.

Without looking at me, I hear him quietly mumble, "Enough."

I nod to myself, understanding that he doesn't want to elaborate. That can't be good.

"Tommy, I have to explain…"

"No. There's no need for an explanation," he replies firmly, his eyes still fixed on the sky before him.

"But I—"

"Jude," he says, turning to lock his eyes with mine, "I don't want to hear it."

I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat and take a step closer to him. "But I want to…it's important Tommy. You didn't get the full story. You didn't hear it all."

"I don't need to," he says resolutely.

"Yes, you do," I challenge, hearing the pleading in my own voice. "I didn't do what you think I did. I mean, I _did_ it, but not for the reasons she said..."

"I'm not listening to this," he states, standing from the chair and turning to walk towards the door.

Instead of arguing with him, I reach for his arm as he walks by, grabbing onto it before he has the chance to get too far away, and continue with my explanation.

"I knew she wasn't right for you. I knew she didn't care about you…she's just concerned with herself. I was trying to look out for you, to make sure she couldn't get to you the way she wanted."

"Jude, enough," he says more forcefully, trying to walk away, but I continue to hold onto his arm, refusing to back down or stop my explanation.

"And I know I did a lot of terrible things….but Tommy, she's not who you think she is. She's not some sweet, innocent girl who just happens to be dating you. She's selfish and heartless and—"

"Jude—"

"No, I need to say this!" I exclaim, letting go of his arm and turning away so he doesn't see the tears that are clouding my vision.

I need to finally say it. I need to tell him the truth.

So with my back still to him, I take a deep breath, and continue, "She's…manipulative and dishonest and two-faced and…she's been using you this whole summer to get a record contract!"

My voice rings out across the empty patio, the echo of my words lingering in the air.

A brief moment of silence passes between us as I wait to hear any sign of the shock he must be feeling.

But it never comes.

Instead, I hear him release a long sigh. And then his voice, quiet and husky, fills the air with a gentle, "I know."

Disbelieving my ears, I turn around to gaze at him, instantly recognizing the sincerity in his eyes.

"What?" I ask softly, doubtfully.

"I know, Jude. I know all of it," he replies, his voice a bit louder.

"How could you…when did you…" I say, my thoughts completely jumbled in my head. He knew?

"I've known all along," he continues, as though reading the questions scroll through my mind. "Since the beginning of the summer."

How is that possible? Why would he…what has he been doing with her?

I stare at him in shock, shaking my head as I attempt to process his confession. "I don't understand…if you knew…then why are you dating her?"

He sighs loudly, running a hand through his hair. "It's a long story, Jude."

"I want to hear it," I say automatically, now feeling like he owes me this much.

He looks around uncomfortably and clears his throat, his eyes finally settling back on mine. "I'm dating her…as a favor."

"A favor?" I repeat, my brows raised. "To who?"

"Darius," he answers flatly, to which I involuntarily gasp.

"Darius? What does he have to do with this?"

"Jude, this is really complicated…" he starts, "and it's not really my place…"

"Tommy," I say with determination, "just tell me."

He looks at me uncertainly, but then takes another deep breath and leans against the back of one of the chairs before responding.

"Darius has been friends with the Rider family for a long time. I guess he and Nicole's father went to university together…he's been close with all of them and even helped Josh get this job."

I nod in understanding, forcing myself to remain quiet while he continues with the story.

"But I guess Nicole has always been kind of…pushy…when he's around. She's had her eye on a record deal for a long time and has made that pretty well known. When Darius heard that she was coming to camp too, he figured she'd be a handful. So right before camp started, he told me about her and asked if I would 'distract' her for the summer."

"And you agreed?"

"Yeah, I did. We made a deal. So I knew that she didn't have any real interest in me beyond getting to D. And I knew that once camp was over, we would be done."

I take a step away from him, mulling his story over in my head. His avoidance of talking about her and his seemingly faithful devotion to her…it was all an act. Part of me felt like I should be angry with him, but there was still something missing, something that didn't add up.

"I don't understand why you would do that…why you would put yourself in that situation," I start, considering his motives for making a deal like this. "You were actually willing to be with someone who was just using you? What did Darius offer that would make you do that?"

An awkward silence settles over us as I search his eyes for some reason, some palpable explanation for why he would put himself through this.

He gazes at me hesitantly and quietly admits, "He offered to move me to the Montreal office of G-Major."

My eyes widen and panic begins to take over my system. "What? Montreal?"

He nods and looks away, saying, "He's been talking about starting up an office there and I told him a few months ago that I wanted in. But I guess the plans weren't finalized…until now."

The heat from the night rushes to my face and I feel my heart pounding louder in my chest. "You're…you're moving?"

"At the end of the summer," he confirms, his voice distant. "And I figured having a built-in girlfriend for the summer wouldn't be such a bad way to go."

I shake my head, unwilling to accept this. Not only has he known about Nicole, but he's been dating her as a way to leave Toronto. He's been using her too.

But as much as I want to focus on this summer, I can't seem to get past his desire to move away.

"You can't leave," I say softly, more to myself than to him.

"I am," he answers firmly. "The plans are set. Everything's done."

I stare at him in disbelief, not wanting to accept his decision. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted to make sure all of the details were finalized with the new office," he explains. "I haven't told anyone."

"But…why?" I ask, hearing my voice crack.

He breathes deeply before answering, "I just…need a change."

"Tommy, you belong in Toronto. It's your home."

"I'll make a new home," he contests with a shrug.

"But…what about your friends? And your artists? And what about…me?" I ask, my voice growing quieter and sadder.

He doesn't answer my question but looks down at the ground uncomfortably, releasing a deep breath as I continue,

"Tommy," I say, taking a step closer to him, "I know this summer has been a mess…I've made some mistakes and didn't handle things the right way. But leaving…it's not going to make things better."

"I disagree," he says with a shake of his head. "I think leaving is just what I need to make things better."

"No, it's not," I plead with him, taking one more step closer so that we're inches away. I grab his hand, look into his eyes, and add, "This summer was just a…a roadblock. But we can get past all of this. And we were just starting to get back on track…back to where we should've been before—"

"Before you picked Jamie?" he finishes for me, an edge of anger suddenly resounding in his voice.

At the sound of his words, I immediately feel as though I've been punched in the stomach. My breath becomes ragged and stifled, as I look away in attempt to gain control over myself and my emotions. He pulls his hand out of mine and takes a step backwards, creating more distance between us.

"Is that what this is about?" I ask meekly. "Me picking Jamie?"

He looks at me for a moment before answering, "Let's just say that Darius wasn't the only one looking for a distraction this summer."

The bitterness is evident in his voice as I instantly grasp the meaning behind his words. I see him visibly become more stiff, more defensive, crossing his arms to protect himself. Months of avoidance have led us to this point, where I know that everything he's been going through is about to come out.

"You know I made the wrong choice," I say softly, my voice barely audible.

"No, Jude," he replies sternly. "I don't know that. In fact, the only thing I know is that I put myself out there and I got my heart handed back to me. And I know that I told you that I loved you and then you ran into someone else's arms. _That's_ what I know."

My heart sinks at the sound of his words, hearing the truth and the pain behind them.

He starts to pace around the porch, the weight of his footsteps becoming louder as he continues, "You think these last few months have been easy for me, Jude? That it's been a walk in the park to see you or be in the same program as you?"

"But the off periods and the infirmary," I mutter faintly, remembering all of the good moments we've shared together this summer. "I thought you liked spending time with me."

"I do and that's the problem," he replies, stopping his pacing to look back at me. "You made your decision. And it wasn't me. And no matter how much time we spend together, I can't forget that. I can't forget that I wasn't the one you chose to be with."

"Tommy…" I start, my voice sounding weak and frail, "I was just…scared."

"And you think I wasn't?" he questions, the emotion in his voice showing through his cold facade. "I know I've made my share of mistakes when it came to you, but this was different…I thought we were starting over, giving this a real chance. But you obviously didn't feel the same way."

I feel the tears well up in my eyes at the sound of his words, hearing his tone go from anger to hurt. Oh god…what did I do? He's trying to get away…from me?

"You can't go," I repeat, wiping a tear away. "I know I screwed up. But we can fix this…_I_ can fix this…"

He emits a quiet smirk and replies, "Funny. That's what Nicole said too."

I bite my lip to keep the rush of emotions from getting the best of me and gaze at him, all of my regret and guilt threatening to overflow.

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"So don't. Just leave it alone," he says with a sense of finality. "It's in the past. I need to get on with my life. I need to get away from…all of this."

The tears roll down my cheeks as I take in all of his words, each one stinging more than the last. I glance up at him hesitantly and say the only words I can think of.

"I'm sorry."

He releases a long sigh at the sound of my words and shakes his head, saying, "I know you are. But that's not enough this time."


End file.
